Premier Barry OFarrell announced to the media that his Government would investigate mandatory sprinklers in both aged care and retirement villages after the Quakers Hill fire has claimed 10 dead and left approximately 30 residents in a critical state. A registered male nurse on shift has been charged for deliberately lighting two fires at about 4.00am. Victoria made sprinklers mandatory for care facilities in 2002 after a fatal fire in 1996. The cost to retrofit a care facility is between $30-40,000. The Australian Building Codes Board in 2007 investigated whether national standards allowing nursing homes to operate without sprinklers were inadequate, without a result. Villages have not been required to have sprinklers. Police checks for village staff however becomes more likely with each event.
Shared Care in villages: Canberra cracks the door open
A major step forward for the Shared Care model. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will convene online workshops with Support at Home providers to help design a pooled funding trial, slated for 2026, backed by $5.2 million in funding over three years announced by the Federal Government in December 2024.