Break 'piggy bank mentality': super fund call to action

"It could be more like the mobilisation of the 1940s and 50s: bold, coordinated and long term," he will say.

"The chance to grow the pie, slice it fairly, and improve our stature in the world, is real."

Mr Schroder will say part of a government's role is to build things that are important for the nation but won't make the financial returns super funds need.

"We must break the piggy bank mentality," he says.

"Super is not a trillion-dollar fix-all.

"It cannot and should not be used to solve every complex national problem."

Mr Schroder says superannuation can contribute to the national renewal but there was "no playbook" for this.

"The potential for super to be an engine room of Australia's sustained prosperity is unrealised," he will say.

"This isn't and can't be about government telling funds what to do.

"I've said this behind closed doors and in front of the cameras and I'll say it again, it would be a disaster for members if governments tried to tell us what to invest in."

The head of Australia's largest super fund said the solution required government and funds to come together in open dialogue about how to better balance risks and make projects worth investing in.

Mr Schroder will say the government's job of determining the direction of the country and the services and infrastructure it needs should be "mutually reinforcing" with the job of super funds to make productive investments to boost their members' retirement savings.

"We're ready to invest but only when it benefits members and where risk adjusted returns warrant the investment," he will say.

"So, superannuation has a role in national renewal…But not every project will stack up for members. 

"We must be clear-eyed about where interests align, and where they don't."

About $40 billion of the fund's members' money has been earmarked for investment in Australia over the next five years.