Community Living

View all

RLC and StewartBrown lobbying sees retirement village operators’ proposed liquidity ratio cut from 10% to 2%

Daniel Gannon, Executive Director of the Retirement Living Council, said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s proposal to make residential aged care providers operating independent living units (ILUs) and retirement villages retain 10% of ILU and retirement village refundable amounts as liquid funds from 1 July this year, has been reduced to 2%.

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Sector Moves & People

ECH Chief Executive Claire Scapinello resigns after three years in role

In a surprise move, Claire has left South Australia’s largest retirement living provider just months after being elected Vice-President of the peak body, the Retirement Living Council, in February.

Click here

Ian Horswill

22 May 2025

Opinion

Scape - the disruptor that will turn the retirement living sector on its head

“As we think about senior housing, that sector in itself is too fragmented and it needs a bit of leadership from someone to kind of disrupt,” Stephen Gaitanos, co-founder, Managing Director and Group CEO of Scape Australia told Mingtiandi’s...

Click here

Ian Horswill

27 May 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

Parties interested in buying Keyton’s Western Australian retirement villages in due diligence

The leading retirement village operator’s decision to sell its entire portfolio of 10 retirement villages in Western Australia was made in September last year. “They are still on the market with interested parties doing due diligence. That’s all we can say at this point,“ said Keyton spokesperson.

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Sector Moves & People

Land lease operator GemLife eyes $700M+ raise at $2B valuation

GemLife’s bankers, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Highbury Partnership, took about two dozen fund managers through four sites in Queensland on Monday and Tuesday last week, ahead of a non-deal roadshow planned for Asia this week as the business...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

Lendlease may have nibble for its 25% stake in village operator Keyton

The builder and developer, which has been under shareholder pressure to sell its remaining 25.1% stake in the retirement village operator for at least three years, is reported to have received a handful of approaches to buy it, according to The Australian.

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Awards

Corporate Leadership finalists vying for Future Leader of the Year at National Retirement Living Summit

The Future Leader of the Year award at the Retirement Living Council’s annual National Retirement Living Summit, which take places in Brisbane from 18-20 June, is highly coveted. It recognises outstanding young professionals (35 years or under) in...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

Legal & General acquires 75% stake in owner of land lease operator Vantage

Vantage is AVID Property Group’s land lease community brand, which has marked its first year in the burgeoning sector. AVID spent $284.5 million to buy eight Living Gems communities to announce the brand in March last year, adding it had earmarked...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Development

SATURDAY means business: Warning for retirement village operators with small regional aged care homes

Stephen Rooke (pictured top), Principal Consultant with advisory firm G5 Strategic, puts it bluntly about building a new residential aged care home in the 99th issue of SATURDAY magazine, released to subscribers last Friday.

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Development

View all

Development

$1M per bed: Victorian Govt completes Rutherglen aged care home

The Victorian Government has completed the $57.1 million construction of a 50-bed aged care home in Rutherglen, located 300km northeast of Melbourne, population 3,000., which equates to $1 million a bed..

Click here

Caroline Egan

9 hours ago

Development

First sod turned on $60M Rockpool Hamilton Northshore aged care home in Brisbane

The private aged care operator founded by Bill Summers in 2016 has begun construction on the six-storey, 153-bed aged care home, with the first residents expected to move in early next year.

Click here

Caroline Egan

9 hours ago

Development

Vivacity’s bid to build $28M 254-home land lease community in Maitland, NSW, deferred

Maitland City Council officers had recommended the Sydney-based land lease community developer and operator’s proposal for a manufactured home estate in Farley, which is being redeveloped into a residential suburb of Maitland, be refused. The...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Development

Adrian Puljich’s Aliria brand has approval for two more land lease sites with 416 homes

Construction will start on the first of two new over-50s communities in Toowoomba, southern Queensland’s Darling downs region, in the second half of 2025, after they received development approval from Toowoomba Regional Council last week. Both are...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Development

Over 50% of Ryman Healthcare Australia’s final stage at Nellie Melba sold

Six years after its initial opening, Ryman Healthcare Australia is preparing to unveil the final stage of its Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill, 25km southeast of Melbourne’s CBD – with over 50% of the new apartments already under...

Click here

Lauren Broomham

26 May 2025

Development

NSW Court approves ex-One Nation director’s plan to convert family home into retirement village

A family home bought by David Oldfield for $1.89 million in 2011 can be turned into a $17.5 million 35-home retirement village in Belrose, 19km northeast of Sydney’s CBD, after his appeal to the Land and Environment Court was successful. In February...

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Development

SATURDAY means business: Warning for retirement village operators with small regional aged care homes

Click here

Ian Horswill

26 May 2025

Housing News

View all

Housing News

Anglican Care’s closed aged care home converted into housing for women over 55

The agency of the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle announced it was shutting an aged care home in Mt Hutton, a suburb of Lake Macquarie, 14km west-southwest of Newcastle, in March 2022. On Saturday, NSW Government announcedit has been converted in 20 units for homeless women..

Click here

Ian Horswill

19 May 2025

Out of the Ordinary

Will this catch on? Residential homes only for over-45s

In a first, 24 homes are being built for people aged 45 and over. “It’s a new concept. People haven’t really done a downsizer community development like this before. People put age restrictions on properties, but not for the reasons we have...

Click here

Ian Horswill

19 May 2025

Housing News

Over 100 social housing homes for seniors being built in Sydney

The homes are being delivered across inner east and west Sydney through a joint investment by the Albanese and Minns Governments, supported by the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator Fund (SHAF). So far, 61 homes have been completed across...

Click here

Lauren Broomham

12 May 2025

Funding

Aspen touts 20% return on invested capital at property investor event

The ASX-listed affordable housing provider has revealed strong performance metrics, highlighting a 20% return on invested capital across its portfolio of more than 1,500 sites in 10 communities. Speaking at Barrenjoey’s Emerging Property Companies...

Click here

Lauren Broomham

12 May 2025

Development

Eureka secures $180M in refinancing deal, acquires new site in QLD

Eureka Group Holdings CEO Simon Owen is delivering on his ambition to make the company Australia’s market leader in both over-50s and all-age rental communities, after successfully refinancing and expanding its debt facilities.

Click here

Lauren Broomham

02 May 2025

Housing News

15 new social homes planned for senior co-housing community in WA’s South West

“Whilst the project does not offer assisted living or nursing facilities, and each member is responsible for themselves, it is common in cohousing communities that if someone is sick, neighbours will help with activities like bringing them meals...

Click here

Lauren Broomham

28 Apr 2025

Funding

Mareeba Community Housing Co granted extension to management of Community Housing for Seniors

The community at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland has more than 300 locals, including seniors, currently vulnerable to homelessness. Mareeba Community Housing Company (MCHC), which was given a three-year extension to its...

Click here

Ian Horswill

31 Mar 2025

Housing

Barossa Village revitalises underutilised land for the Buna/Kokoda housing project in Nuriootpa

Each of the five homes, which replaced two houses on the 2,400msq site in the town of Nuriootpa, the commercial centre of South Australia’s Barossa Valley, has been individually designed. “These are not one-size-fits-all units — they are...

Click here

Ian Horswill

14 Apr 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

‘Affordable’ Aspen Group adds to portfolio with second WA land buy in six weeks

The ASX-listed affordable housing group announced last Wednesday it has entered a conditional contract to buy a new 18ha accommodation complex in Australind, a town 12km northeast of Bunbury’s CBD. Aspen Group, which serves the 40% of Australian...

Click here

Ian Horswill

07 Apr 2025

Opinion

View all

Opinion

Home care hellscape: why the wait list should be the new Minister’s first priority

On paper, Australia’s home care system is expanding. Another 107,000 Home Care Packages are set to be rolled out from 1 July. But for many older Australians, that help will come too late – if it comes at all. As we report in this issue, average...

Click here

Lauren Broomham

8 hours ago

Opinion

Scape - the disruptor that will turn the retirement living sector on its head

Click here

Ian Horswill

27 May 2025

Opinion

Fix it or fail: Australia’s health system can’t last another five years

Last week, I was fascinated by the Fin Review’s latest ‘Lunch with the AFR’ interview with Chris Blake, CEO of St Vincent’s Health Australia. His prediction? Australian hospitals, in their current form, have only about five years left to survive – and the aged care sector may face collapse even sooner.

Click here

Lauren Broomham

22 May 2025

Funding

View all

Funding

Aspen touts 20% return on invested capital at property investor event

Click here

Lauren Broomham

12 May 2025

Funding

Mareeba Community Housing Co granted extension to management of Community Housing for Seniors

Click here

Ian Horswill

31 Mar 2025

Funding

Macquarie Bank reduces its substantial stake in Ingenia Communities

The global financial services group has continued to reduce its stake in the owner/operator of land lease and rental communities and holiday parks. Macquarie Bank had a significant voting power of 10.92% in April last year, but the substantial...

Click here

Ian Horswill

15 Apr 2025

Sector Moves/People

John Innes departs club/retirement living JV group Pariter with Tom Roche assuming CEO position

After five years establishing Pariter and creating a pipeline of joint ventures with community and golf clubs, John Innes has handed the CEO role to Tom Roche. John Innes Tom has led numerous large real estate and infrastructure transactions for...

Click here

Ian Horswill

07 Apr 2025

The Economy

View all

Government Policy

“Development pipeline across sector not going to be sufficient for ageing population”

“The development pipeline across the industry is not going to be sufficient for the ageing population,” Tony told the Property Council

Click here

Ian Horswill

20 Nov 2023

Aged Care

Opinion: the next aged care crisis is here

Read more about Australia’s ‘true’ occupancy rate – and the consolidation taking place in the residential care sector in SATURDAY – subscribe here

Click here

Lauren Broomham

26 Oct 2023

Development

Only in SATURDAY – the real reason aged care beds are hard to find

The Department of Health and Aged Care puts occupancy at 86.2%. Our investigations differ To find out why, subscribe to our premium digital magazine SATURDAY HERE

Click here

Caroline Egan

26 Oct 2023

Home Care

Fiji PM hints at reducing PALM worker numbers

The Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, has indicated that the number of unskilled or semi-skilled workers that come to Australia through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme could be cut, which could limit an important source of...

Click here

Caroline Egan

26 Oct 2023

Community Living

New Zealand needs more retirement villages to meet the demand

A new report by real estate firm JLL on the sector across the Tasman Sea has found demand for places is outstripping supply. A total of 36 new villages were added to the development pipeline last year with 452 villages currently providing homes for...

Click here

Ian Horswill

28 Aug 2023

The Weekly SOURCE

Will retirement living operators heed the call in Western Australia?

The state government has said it seeks to collaborate with the property and construction industry to “increase the supply and diversity of social housing”. The Department of Communities states it is particularly interested in submissions that...

Click here

Ian Horswill

01 Aug 2023

Aged Care

IHACPA releases Consultation Paper for aged care funding in 2024–25

The Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) has released its Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services 2024–25 and asking for submissions from relevant stakeholders. The report...

Click here

Caroline Egan

26 Jul 2023

The Economy

ONLY IN SATURDAY: Aveo Group CEO on making serviced apartments profitable

Serviced apartments, or assisted living options in retirement villages, have been a challenge for the retirement living sector. Ageing village serviced apartments with relatively high weekly fees to cover the mandated meals and other services are...

Click here

Caroline Egan

25 Jul 2023

DCM Research

DCM Institute survey: How long Village Managers think they will stay in the role

The DCM Institute survey of 186 retirement village and community managers across Australia asked how long Village Managers intend to stay in the role and why they intend to leave. The survey found that 78% of Village Managers were generally...

Click here

Section Editor

13 Jun 2023