By Rachel Waterhouse, CEO, Australian Shareholders’ Association
Australia needs investment to grow businesses, create jobs and lift productivity. Individual investors have an important part to play.
But we cannot take their participation for granted.
Australians investing their own savings need confidence that the rules will be stable, that they will be treated fairly and that their rights as shareholders will be respected.
That is the focus of the Australian Shareholders’ Association (ASA) 2026/27 Policy Priorities, which we are launching today.
ASX’s 2023 Australian Investor Study found 7.7 million Australians held on-exchange investments, showing the scale of individual participation in Australia’s capital markets.
When Australians invest, they are doing more than building financial security for themselves and their families. Their savings provide capital that helps Australian businesses innovate, grow, create jobs and improve productivity.
Retail investors are capital providers too.
For over 65 years, ASA has advocated for individual investors, stronger shareholder rights and better corporate governance.
Our 2026/27 Policy Priorities have been informed by the issues and feedback raised by ASA members and volunteers, alongside our ongoing advocacy and engagement with companies, regulators and policymakers.
The priorities focus on four areas to strengthen investor confidence and participation.
- Make long-term investing easier and more rewarding
Investing is about the future, so confidence in the rules matters.
Australians making long-term decisions about their savings need tax, superannuation and investment settings that are stable and predictable.
ASA is calling for major policy changes to be assessed for their impact on investor confidence, retirement savings and investment in Australian businesses.
Regulation should also be simpler where unnecessary complexity can be removed without weakening investor protections.
Policy settings should encourage Australians to invest throughout their working lives, both inside and outside superannuation, and into retirement.
2. Give retail investors equitable access and treatment
Retail shareholders should have the same opportunity as larger investors to participate in Australia’s capital markets.
ASA is calling for fair and equitable access to IPOs, capital raisings and other investment opportunities, as well as equal treatment during corporate actions and market processes.
Companies also need to provide clear, timely and easy-to-understand information about financial performance, governance, remuneration and material risks.
Retail shareholders are owners of Australian companies and many invest for the long term. They should not be an afterthought when companies raise capital or make decisions that affect existing shareholders.
Fair access and transparent markets help build confidence and encourage participation.
3. Strengthen shareholder rights and company accountability
Investment confidence also depends on good corporate governance.
Shareholders provide capital and ultimately own the company. They need the information and opportunities required to hold boards and executives to account.
ASA continues to advocate for hybrid AGMs as the standard, enabling shareholders to participate regardless of where they live.
We also want better disclosure about individual director skills, performance, succession planning and overall board capability.
Executive remuneration should reward sustainable long-term performance rather than short-term outcomes, and companies should communicate clearly about strategy, material risks and key business decisions.
Strong governance supports better decision-making and gives investors confidence that companies are being managed in the long-term interests of shareholders.
4. Build confident, informed and protected investors
Australians also need the knowledge and confidence to make informed investment decisions.
Investors are navigating increasingly complex choices, a vast amount of information, scams, misleading promotions and poor-quality financial content.
ASA is calling for a national commitment to improving financial capability across all stages of life.
That includes better education about investing, shareholder rights, risk management and scams, greater access to independent and trusted investor education, and stronger protections against misleading promotions and poor-quality financial information.
Financial capability builds confidence. Confidence encourages participation.
A stronger investment culture benefits Australia
These priorities share a common objective: to give more Australians the confidence and opportunity to invest for the long term.
This matters for Australians building financial security and preparing for retirement, for companies seeking capital to innovate and grow, and for an economy that needs productive investment.
ASA’s 2026/27 Policy Priorities will guide our engagement with the Australian Government, regulators and ASX-listed companies, as well as our policy submissions and public advocacy over the year ahead.
As new policy issues emerge, we will continue to ask: will this give individual Australians greater confidence to invest, or give them reasons not to?
Australia benefits from informed, engaged and confident individual investors.
Public policy and our capital markets should encourage more of them.
Read the full ASA Policy Priorities 2026/27.
