Australian superannuation funds will return their biggest losses since the introduction of compulsory super 17 years ago, researchers say.

“2008/09 will go down as the worst financial year for super fund investors since the introduction of compulsory super in July 1992,” SuperRatings managing director Jeff Bresnahan said.

“The global financial crisis has now been the catalyst for two consecutive poor results from our super funds.”

SuperRatings, an independent research group, said it expected medium balanced investment funds to post a loss of 13 per cent for 2009/10 financial year.

A medium balanced investment is defined by SuperRatings as one with between 60 and 72 per cent off funds exposed to growth-style assets.

About 80 per cent of Australians in major super funds are involved in such investments, it said.

SuperRatings data found that super funds still compared favourably to listed property investments, which posted a 46 per cent loss in the 2008/09 financial year.

Balanced super investments returned an average of 6.7 per cent a year since 1992, SuperRatings said.

AAP