Common questions.

Everything I get asked, in one place. If your question isn't here, email graham@grahammarsland.com and I'll answer.

Is this really free?

Yes. Your first complaint is free. No card required, no trial, no auto-renewal. You only pay anything if you decide later that you want me to prepare your other complaints too. And if money is tight, those are also free — see “If money is tight” on the homepage.

Why are you doing this?

Because the cohort has been hit hard, the AFCA process is hard to navigate alone, and I have the methodology and the system to do it carefully and at scale. I built this so that the people who deserve to lodge a complaint actually do.

Can I just lodge it myself for free on AFCA's portal?

Yes. AFCA's service is free. You do not need to pay anyone to lodge with them. The reason most people haven't is the portal is hard, the chain of respondents is invisible until someone explains it, and the calculation methodology is dense. What I do is the document preparation. You lodge it yourself, free, on AFCA's website. If you would rather lodge it yourself with no help from me, takeyoursuperback.com (run by Super Consumers Australia, funded by ASIC) is excellent.

I already got a payment from Macquarie or Netwealth. Am I done?

Probably not. The Macquarie and Netwealth payments returned your original capital. They did not include the investment returns you would have earned if your super had stayed where it was. They did not include compensation for the impact on your life. AFCA can award both, on top of the platform payment. Taking the platform's payment does not stop you lodging an AFCA complaint.

What about the class action?

Slater & Gordon paused their Shield/First Guardian investigation in 2025 after Macquarie agreed to repay capital. Maurice Blackburn isn't running one. If a class action becomes active later, you can usually still join — what I prepare for AFCA does not lock you out.

I was with InterPrac. Does the Federal Court case affect me?

AFCA is still accepting InterPrac complaints and encourages you to lodge now. It protects your position. Because InterPrac is challenging AFCA in the Federal Court, AFCA has paused final decisions on InterPrac complaints until that's resolved. Your complaint still progresses; the outcome waits on the court.

How does AI fit in?

I designed the methodology, wrote the prompts, and built the templates. Anthropic's AI model — called Claude — does the drafting inside that system. Every document carries an audit trail showing the methodology version, the AFCA decisions it relies on, and every calculation step. I personally read and reply to every email.

What if I want to change words in the draft?

It is your draft. Change anything. You decide what you lodge. Email me with anything that doesn't fit and I will rewrite it.

How do I know the document is any good?

Every document I prepare carries an audit trail you can verify: the methodology version, the five AFCA lead decisions it cites (case numbers in the document — readable on AFCA's site), and every calculation step. The methodology follows AFCA's own published approach to advice complaints (AFCA Approach Dec 2023, sections 2.1 and 2.2). Your first one is free, so you can read it before deciding anything else.

What if I've already lodged a complaint myself?

Then you have done the hardest part. I can prepare complaints against the other parties in your case (the platform, the fund, sometimes others). That is the bundle.

What if I am not sure I was even in Shield or First Guardian?

Most people had no idea. Check your most recent super statement for “Shield Master Fund” or “First Guardian Master Fund.” Or look at takeyoursuperback.com — they have a lookup tool.

What credentials do you have?

Graham Marsland is an accountant by training with an MBA and Juris Doctor from RMIT. I am not a lawyer; I do not practise law. I prepare documents.

What if I am struggling right now?

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636. Lifeline: 13 11 14. The cohort I serve includes people who are not coping. If you are not coping, please call. You can also email me — I will help if I can.

Where things stand right now.

AFCA processes complaints in the order they are received. So far AFCA has received about 1,044 Shield-related complaints and about 1,861 First Guardian-related complaints — around 3,429 in total, with 524 covering both funds. Around 11,000 Australians are affected. As at late February 2026, AFCA has issued 44 determinations and 5 lead decisions on Shield-era cases — those lead decisions set the methodology that similar complaints will be decided against.

AFCA has paused some deadlines and given indefinite membership extensions to insolvent firms. The door is not closing on you. But the queue is real, and earlier-lodged complaints get heard earlier.

If your super was on Macquarie's platform (Shield) or Netwealth's (First Guardian), you may have already received a payment of your original capital back — about 4,000 people have, totalling around $421 million. That payment came from court-enforceable undertakings the platforms agreed to with ASIC. It does not include the lost investment returns. It does not include compensation for the impact on your life.

AFCA can award both, on top of the platform payment. Taking the platform's payment does not stop you lodging an AFCA complaint.

There is no advantage in waiting.