How we invest your money

Equities (or shares) represent a share of the ownership of companies through listed exchanges, such as the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Their return is derived from dividends paid to shareholders from company profits, and from changes to the share price. Equities are considered to be growth assets. Qantas Super invests in both Australian and Global Equities, which means you own part of a whole range of companies like Apple and Microsoft.

Private Equity is where our members have exposure to companies that have not been listed on a public exchange. Qantas Super invests in Private Equity through strong relationships with specialised private equity managers, who invest in companies they believe have value and can be improved, with a view to ultimately selling them or taking them public. These are also considered to be growth assets.

The Alternatives asset class captures a broad range of investments that don’t fall into conventional investment categories. That means they can be thought of as providing an ‘alternate’ approach, for example commodities like metals and energy resources. Their returns can be derived from a combination of dividends, distributions and interest, plus changes in the capital values of the assets. Alternative assets can also consist of both growth assets and defensive assets.

Fixed interest investments or bonds are issued by public organisations and companies. Generally, Fixed Interest exposures are considered a defensive asset class, offering steady income and capital security. Qantas Super invests in a range of fixed interest investments including government bonds, corporate bonds, emerging market debt, private debt and loans. Qantas Super also invests in actively managed fixed interest strategies where the aim is to achieve a real return greater than cash.

Cash investments are short term money market ‘instruments’. These may include cash or cash equivalent investments and term deposits placed with financial institutions, such as banks, which pay interest on these amounts. Cash investments are generally ‘on-call’, which means they can be accessed at any time, however returns may be lower than from other asset classes. Cash is also considered a defensive asset.

Real Assets are tangible investments, such as our investments in property, infrastructure and agriculture, that derive their value through their physical properties. Returns for Real Assets can come from increases in asset value, transformation, and development of the asset as well as income from rent or business. Real Assets can be growth or defensive oriented.

With decarbonisation of the global economy front of mind, Qantas Super has partnered with RFC Ambrian, an adviser focused on investing in the natural resources, energy, and heavy industrial sectors. This partnership has a dedicated lens to decarbonisation technology, which focuses on the raw materials that will be needed as we ‘electrify the world’. As a Qantas Super member, through our partnership with RFC Ambrian, you are currently invested in: 

• Hadean Energy – a hydrogen and other green fuel electrolyser technology business, producing the building blocks essential for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and industrial decarbonisation;

• NextOre – an advanced ore sensing and sorting technology business that can markedly improve the operational efficiency, and reduce the environmental footprint, of critical minerals mines; and 

• Gaia Envirotech – a novel modular organic waste and renewable bioenergy company providing circular, negative emission solutions to the agriculture, food and waste sectors.

Gaia’s modular Anaerobic Digestor: turning cow manure into renewable biogas, fertiliser, inert digestate and negative GHG emissions.

GO.FARM is one of Qantas Super’s investment managers in agriculture (Real Assets), focused on transforming Australian agriculture to leave the land materially better than they found it, while also seeking to positively impact surrounding communities and generating returns for their investors.

GO.FARM is committed to sustainable agricultural stewardship and is delivering positive outcomes for soil health and fertility, water resource conservation, crop health protection, energy consumption, waste management and biodiversity. Their farms predominantly produce fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and grains.

GO.FARM is also creating long term jobs in rural and regional areas, procuring local goods and services, and helping develop the next generation of agricultural leaders for Australia. 

You can learn more about our investment here.

GO.FARM’s Sandmount Farms: climate-smart horticultural development growing almonds, citrus and vegetables. 

Qantas Super has been working in partnership with Inspire Impact since 2021, an organisation that seeks to invest in businesses and projects that positively and measurably impact the society and environment in which we all live.  As a Qantas Super member, your money is currently supporting investments that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as: 

• Mint Innovation – recycles electronic waste to recover metals like gold and copper through a world first, patented, highly energy and water efficient process, meaning these critical ‘green’ metals can be reused time and time again in the circular economy;

• academyEX – produces innovative learning outcomes that build relevant skills and capabilities to match the requirements of a rapidly changing world, with programmes ranging from postgraduate-level micro-credentials and master’s degrees through to customised programmes for large corporate and government clients, specialising in contemporary technology, education and sustainability; and

• Disability Housing Fund IV – delivers high-quality, purpose-built specialist disability accommodation (SDA) to provide Australians with disability with more choice and control over where and how they live.  

Mint’s biorefinery: sustainably extracting circular green metals from waste at scale.