Telstra Super is planning to launch a direct Australian equities platform for its members in February 2013.

"The . product, which we are looking to launch just after Christmas this year, is really about addressing the flight to SMSFs (self-managed super funds)," Telstra Super chief financial officer Christina Liosis said.

"It is about giving members the option to be able to go to term deposits and ASX 300 [stocks]. We believe that is pertinent in both pre-retirement and post-retirement."

The $11-billion corporate super fund has a relatively large number of members with high account balances.

This made the fund vulnerable to losing clients to SMSFs, Liosis said.

"Seventy-one per cent of all our exits have gone to SMSFs and DIY funds - DIY are retail platforms, which are very similar to the SMSFs, it gives members control," she said.

But she argued staying with a large super fund had benefits that could not be accessed in an SMSF.

"There is the in-specie tax benefit, where all the tax that has been withheld during accumulation phase will basically be given back to you because of the fact that you don't trigger capital gains tax," she said.

Telstra Super is also expanding its range of insurance products and offers members health insurance through HCF.

"The auxiliary products are important, because people do start to look at us as a financial services offering, rather than a superannuation offering," Liosis said.