Andrews Government Inaction on Retirement Village Reforms

Andrews Government Inaction on Retirement Village Reforms - The Victorian Daniel Andrews government is dragging the chain with retirement village reforms.

Despite a 2016 inquiry htp://www.retvill.net/vic-government, recommendations in early 2017 then a government response to the recommendations, no major action has been taken to reform retirement villages in Victoria.

The inquiry, recommendations and response have been described as - left disappointed, no commitment, lost opportunity, evidence ignored, concerns dismissed, a damp squib, fillip to developers, brush-off to residents.

"Residents and their families will ultimately pay the price for the Victorian Government’s inaction on retirement housing reform''

Comments attributable to:

Gerard Brody, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre

• If you’re an older Victorian and want to resolve a problem with your retirement living, it should be cheap, quick and accessible. The evidence has shown that we need an ombudsman scheme for this sector.


• Recent piecemeal inquiries by the Victorian Government into the sector have failed to reduce the complexity of contracts or improve outcomes for residents. We had hoped for a strong response from the Government today that showed it cared for residents and their families. Unfortunately, we were left disappointed.

Lawrie Robertson, Vice-President Residents of Retirement Village Victoria

• There is no commitment in the Victorian Government’s response to improving the rights and protections for residents.


• Our members had hoped for quick implementation of a simple, free, binding dispute resolution service and they have been left bitterly disappointed.

Ronda Held, CEO COTA Victoria

• This is a lost opportunity for leadership in responding to the concerns of thousands of older Victorians and their families.


• The Victorian Government had overwhelming evidence of the problems in this sector, and that evidence has been ignored.

Fiona York, Co-Manager, Housing for the Aged Action Group

• None of the main concerns of residents have been adequately dealt with.


• Residents’ concerns about unfair and confusing fees, management practices and dispute resolution have been either dismissed or deferred.

Levitt Robinson solicitors

• The report of the Victorian Enquiry into the Retirement Housing Sector has proven to be a damp squib and disappointed many genuinely aggrieved Victorian residents of retirement villages.


• The enthusiasm with which it was greeted by the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Division, when it was released on 7 March 2017, is a strong indication that it was a fillip to developers and brush-off to resident retirees.

Andrews Government Inaction on Retirement Village Reforms