good health and wellbeing

Health and wellbeing is fundamental to HESTA members who predominantly work in the health and community services sector.

why we do this

Good health and wellbeing enables economic growth by improving productivity, raising incomes and reducing economic costs due to illness. An unhealthy workforce creates cost and disruptions for companies and the broader economy.

Living longer and healthier lives enables our members to earn and save more for retirement.

We believe there are important investment opportunities in support of good health and wellbeing that will help deliver long-term value for HESTA members.

how we do this

From an investment perspective, we are supporters of early-stage biotechnology, as well as life sciences companies that are exploring new ways of addressing or preventing health problems.

We provide capital for healthcare infrastructure including private hospitals, medical precincts and aged care communities. We also invest in disability and affordable housing which is fundamental for ensuring health and wellbeing of vulnerable groups.

We also support global initiatives to help address issues such as antimicrobial resistance.

We are a pledge stamp member of Tobacco Free Portfolios and divested our portfolio of tobacco in 2013.

case studies

Addressing AMR

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a systemic risk to human health. Mitigating that risk should help to protect and enhance the value of HESTA investments and the returns we can deliver to members. We therefore support compliance with World Health Organization Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals among companies involved in meat supply chains, and will seek to apply appropriate active ownership levers to mitigate this challenging issue.

See how we’re addressing AMR to help protect long-term member returns.

Addressing AMR >

Better outcomes for cancer patients

The breast cancer journey is tough enough on women without the debilitating after-effects of treatment. Hot flashes and night sweats are more than an inconvenience for many going through chemotherapy: they can seriously affect their quality of life.

A new treatment could help combat these side effects of chemotherapy, to help women live well during and after treatment. And HESTA members are part of this game-changing work through our investment in health innovation.

Read the story >

Investing in the future of medicine

We want to invest in companies that earn strong long-term returns for our members and also improve the wellbeing of all people. To do this, we often invest in private companies, like Brandon Capital Partners.

Brandon Capital is a specialist fund manager that invests in promising biomedical opportunities that can be truly life changing for patients. But this work goes beyond treating patients: Brandon Capital also invests in vaccine innovation, from which everyone benefits.

Investing in the future of medicine >

Investing in medical technology

We aim to deliver Super with impact™ by investing in innovative companies that develop technologies to improve health and wellbeing, while delivering strong investment outcomes for our members.

We want to share with you a couple of our Australian medical technology investments, including Heidi Health, a medical technology company, and OncoRes Medical, a Perth-based BioMedTech startup.

Investing in medical technology >

learn more about super with impact^™

Facing the future with confidence

We use our deep understanding of our members to design information, tools and support to make a meaningful impact on their confidence about the future.

Facing the future with confidence >