We also spoke to Lawrie Robertson, President of the Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria (RRVV), and Judy Mayfield, President of the Association of Residents in Queensland Retirement Villages (ARQRV), on the impact the Fairfax/Four Corners coverage has had in their respective states:
Lawrie tells us:
“In an ideal world, residents would not need to engage the media to make a point with operators or government, or to help resolve a dispute. If there is a lesson to be drawn from the Four Corners program and the press follow up, it’s that retirement village sector needs a better safety net for residents let down by the system.”
“RRVV strongly advocates the Government of Victoria to establish a free independent, expert and investigative dispute resolution service with the power to make binding determinations. In short, we want a retirement housing ombudsman. We also want legislated improvements in residents’ rights and protections and stronger, proactive regulation.”
It’s worth noting that on Monday, just a day after Matt Kean announced his reforms for the NSW village sector, Victoria’s Liberal Nationals declared they would establish an Ombudsman for Retirement Housing if they are elected in the next state election on November 24 2018.
Judy also offered us comments on the changes happening in Queensland, including the Government’s introduction of an 18-month buy-back period for village units.
“It is disappointing that operators are fighting this, arguing that it is likely to cause financial hardship for some operators. Perhaps they should stop and think about the financial hardship it causes residents moving out who often have no other money to support themselves and are forced to wait, for years in some cases, before they receive the money that was paid as a LOAN for the right to live in a village.”
“No wonder residents continue to view operators as money hungry,” she said.
Judy adds that while the amended legislation produced Behavioural Standards for staff and residents, the practicalities for dealing with resident-to-resident disputes has not been thought through.
“Other amendments to the Retirement Villages Act seem to provide greater transparency about village financial matters, simpler contracts, easily accessible comparison documents and reinstatement vs refurbishment costs. As these sections of the Act are yet to be proclaimed we wait for the details to be released, while acknowledging that they would seem to provide greater protections.”
She is pleased to see that the RLC is providing an 8 Point Plan to guide the direction of the industry and acknowledging the role of Residents Associations and the positive outcomes that can be achieved by working co-operatively.
“The Code of Conduct, an initiative of the RLC, LASA and ACSA, is a welcome step in recognising the rights of residents and is an attempt to educate and inform all operators of their responsibilities towards residents, which in the long term can only benefit the whole industry.”
However she believes the negative publicity around retirement villages has caused many people to rethink this as a viable lifestyle.
The ARQRV will be playing an active role in the Queensland Government’s initiative ‘Building Consumer Confidence’, an 18-month program designed to help village residents and those considering moving into a village to better understand both the RV Act and the new amendments through information sessions at villages and community venues around the state.
