For financial advice practices

CSC accepts the following authorities for representatives acting on behalf of members:

1. Third Party Authority

   A member can complete and submit a Third Party Authority form to provide a representative with authority to enquire about, or act on your behalf (subject to limitations).

   A representative with permission to enquire can ask questions about your superannuation account. This can include queries about your account balance, your benefit/s and the status of any claims, reviews or other requests.

   A representative with permission to act can enquire (as above). They can also:

   • act on your behalf in dealings with CSC; and

   • submit information to CSC on your behalf, convey instructions to CSC relating to your superannuation account and any claims you have—subject to any limitations you include.

2. Solicitor representation letter

   Solicitors can submit a representation letter advising of their authority to act in relation to a member’s account. The letter from the solicitor must clearly state who they are acting for and what they are engaged to do. A separate third-party authority form is not required.

   The solicitor is not able to sign documents on the member’s behalf. A Power of Attorney, Guardianship and Administration/Financial Order or Public Trustee Order is required for documents to be signed on behalf of a member.

3. Power of Attorney

   A Power of Attorney (PoA) nominates a third party to act on behalf of a member. Each state and territory has its own requirements for PoAs and the requirements for signing. You can find the relevant authority for each state and territory on the Moneysmart website.

   To be accepted by CSC a PoA must:

   • comply with the relevant state or territory legislation; and
   • be certified by an authorised person (see below certification requirements).

4. Guardianship and Administration/Financial Order

   A Guardianship and Administration/ Financial Order is a written order of a tribunal (or court) appointing one or more people as the guardian and administrator of another person with diminished decision-making capacity.

   To be accepted by CSC, a Guardianship and Administration/ Financial Order must:

   • comply with the relevant state or territory legislation; and
   • be certified by an authorised person (see below certification requirements).

5. Public Trustee

   Public trustee arrangements are specific to each state and territory. Further information can be found on the relevant state or territory public trustee website.

Please contact us if the member you are representing does not have the legal capacity to discuss any additional requirements.

If you are working on behalf of a member of one of CSC's schemes, we need written consent from them before you can access their personal information. You can provide this by:

• Having your client complete our Third Party Authority form; or
• Providing our member's signed authority instructions on your letterhead.

Then, send this information to CSC via email—contact details for each scheme are listed at the bottom of this page.

To speed up your access, don't forget to:

• Address the authority instructions to CSC
• Have the authority signed and dated by your client
• Have your client initial any changes
• Include your client's:
• CSC reference number
• Full name (including any middle name/s)
• Date of birth
• Address
• Contact number

Ensure that the authority specifies who from your agency is authorised to access to your client's details.

A valid authorisation will remain in place indefinitely unless a timeframe is specified, or until authorisation is revoked verbally and/or in writing by your client.

If you're providing certified documents, the certifying authority must confirm in writing you are the valid holder of the identification you are presenting, and any copies are true copies of the original.

IMPORTANT: The certification must include the name, signature, qualification and registration number of the certifying authority (if applicable), and the date of the certification.

The following sample of certifying authorities can certify your documents in Australia:

• Dentist
• Employee of a Commonwealth authority engaged on a permanent basis with five or more years of continuous service who is not specified elsewhere in this document
• Financial Adviser or Financial Planner
• Justice of the Peace (P)
• Legal Practitioner
• Medical Practitioner
• Member of the Australian Defence Force who is: 

• an Officer; or 
• a Non-Commissioned Officer within the meaning of the Defence Force
• Discipline Act 1982 with five or more years of continuous service: or
• a Warrant Officer within the meaning of that Act.

• Midwife
• Notary Public
• Nurse
• Occupational therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Psychologist:

For a full list of certifying authorities refer to Schedule 2 of the Statutory Declarations Regulations 2018.

We'll send through a confirmation once the authority has been saved to the client's account and:

Where account information has been requested by an individual who is a listed authority, we will send them a run-down of the member’s account, plus some other useful information about their fund; or

Where a generic reply address is provided that may be accessed by unauthorised people, we will provide general scheme information as well as instructions on how to retrieve information that is specific to the member’s account.

If you live overseas and need to have documents certified, this needs to be done by a person in a foreign country who is authorised by law in that jurisdiction to administer oaths or affirmations or to authenticate documents. Documents provided in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certified translation completed by an accredited translator. 

For more information refer to ag-gov.au and dfat.gov.au. 

*Don't send original documents.