On 12 June, the Queensland Government, after lobbying from Ageing Australia and the Retirement Living Council, permanently exempted retirement villages from the Residential Services (Accreditation) (Retirement Village Schemes) Amendment Regulation 2025.
The Residential Services (Accreditation) Regulation:
- Regulates "residential services" which are defined as accommodation for four or more people where residents rent individual rooms and share common facilities.
- Covers services that provide food or personal care, in addition to accommodation.
- Aims to protect vulnerable residents by ensuring service providers adhere to minimum standards.
“As a result of many years of consultation and feedback from Ageing Australia, Queensland operators will now not be subjected to two pieces of legislation, unnecessarily,” Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said.
“We provided submissions and met with regulatory services numerous times, highlighting that food and care services were already regulated by other legislation, so retirement villages needed to be exempt.”
"The RLC and Property Council have consistently engaged on this issue with government and were in the room with decision-makers when it was revealed retirement villages would receive a permanent exemption from the Residential Services (Accreditation) Regulation," said Retirement Living Council Executive Director Daniel Gannon.
"We appreciate the government’s willingness to sit at the table with us to understand why – on behalf of the retirement living industry we represent – this change was necessary. We are thrilled to deliver this outcome."