The draft of proposed amendments to the Retirement Villages Act bill fails to address many concerns raised by and on behalf of residents, in particular around management standards and fairer fees. The bill allows the most exploitative and predatory operators to continue to operate according to ‘churn’ business models where they are incentivised to maintain high turnover rates by systematically pressuring residents to leave once their exit fees reach their maximum value. The bill abandons the concept of a rights-based framework in favour of vague unenforceable ‘principles’. Overall, the bill simply fails to address serious public concerns about exploitative business practices in the retirement village industry, much less the concerns expressed by the many residents who have made submissions to this review.

Read the submission here

It’s hard to see how the Federal Government’s plan to address Australia’s housing crisis, including its new accord with the states and territories, will help older people without a home.

The lives of older people experiencing homelessness, particularly older women, will improve markedly if the New South Wales Government moves to implement the recommendations handed down today by the Social Issues Committee inquiry into homelessness amongst older people aged over 55