Barnaby Joyce’s ex-wife fears that she will be forced to work until she’s 80 after losing her nest egg in Australia’s biggest superannuation collapse.
Natalie Abberfield is among more than 12,000 customers whose super funds were wiped out after First Guardian and the related Shield Master Fund collapsed in May 2024, owing about $1.2billion.
Liquidators allege First Guardian director David Anderson and others siphoned millions of dollars to fund their luxury lifestyles, ASIC documents show.
Ms Abberfield, who was married to Joyce for 24 years before they separated in 2017 when he left her for his now-wife Vikki Campion, estimated that she has lost more than $400,000.
‘I didn’t really want to be working when I’m 80, but at the moment, I don’t have anything,’ the mother‑of‑four told A Current Affair.
‘I went through a licensed, regulated super and now I have nothing.
‘Something needs to be done.’
Her ex‑husband, who recently left the Nationals to join Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, has called for a ‘pay now, recover later’ scheme to help fund collapse victims.
Natalie Abberfield (formerly Joyce) has lost more than $400,000 in the super fund collapse
Her ex-husband Barnaby Joyce (pictured together in 2015) is now lobbying on behalf of victims who lost all of their super
‘He’s a good politician and he speaks his mind,’ she said.
Ms Abberfield is part of SOS Save Our Super, an online community of victims trying to recover their missing super.
‘When you’re dealing with people who are going through it with you, it’s a good support network and there’s information there,’ she said.
‘If I didn’t find it, I probably wouldn’t have lodged a complaint with AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority).’
The program also spoke to Ferras Mehri, a Venture Egg financial advisor being investigated by AFCA over the collapse.
‘I’m here to face the music but I strongly deny that I have done anything unlawful,’ he told ACA.
‘I followed the rules in front of me and that will be found out in the courts.’
Mr Mehri had this message for impacted victims.
Should the government immediately compensate victims of super fund collapses, no matter the cost?
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AFCA is investigating financial advisor Ferras Mehri’s role in the super collapse. He insists he has done nothing illegal
First Guardian fund director David Anderson is accused by ASIC of siphoning millions of dollars into his personal ANZ bank account and shifting money overseas
‘I’m deeply sorry. It hurts every single day that I have to wake up and not see their money paid back,’Mr Mehri said.
The deadline to make a complaint to the AFCA was recently extended indefinitely.
The watchdog says it is meeting with and supporting victims as it vowed to bring those responsible for the collapses of the Shield Master Fund and First Guardian Master Fund to account.
