The Weekly SOURCE

Plan A or Plan B? Operators only have one option to prepare systems for new Act

The new Aged Care Act is now just 45 business days away from its 1 July implementation. Aged care providers have two options: automate and future-proof their systems now or stick to manual workarounds amid rising workloads and compliance risk. Is...

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Support at Home: the six key strategies you need to know

With the home care market expected to grow from 220,000 to 320,000 participants over the next 24 months, providers should be strategically redesigning their services to tap into this growth now, a recent DCM Group webinar revealed. With just 45...

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Easy wins: reforming the ‘blunt instrument’ of care minutes

Rigid and unforgiving, mandated care minutes are sending providers into the red. Could a more flexible, hospital-style model offer aged care a better future? The aged care sector is calling for urgent reform to the current mandatory care minute...

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Opinion: providers hold the answers – now it’s time to act

With the Federal Election just over a week away, aged care is set to return to the national agenda. The sector must seize the moment to lead on solutions. Regardless of who wins on 3 May, Australia’s aged care crisis won’t magically resolve...

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Easy wins: level the playing field on payroll tax

The average 100-bed private aged care home is paying circa $657,000 in payroll tax a year compared to its Not For Profit counterpart – does this pass the pub test? The payroll tax and Fringe Benefits tax exemptions for Not For Profit aged care...

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Easy wins: review Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements

These are figures that will not shift the needle on the sector’s workforce shortages – and are well short of then-Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles’ statement that the ACILAs could sponsor up to 22,000 workers over five years

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Sick of the system? Why this aged care provider decided to fix it themselves

Frustrated by years of red tape, staffing shortages and siloed services, Whiddon is flipping the script with a ground-up health initiative that’s already turning heads – and they didn’t ask for a cent. A bold new provider-led initiative aimed...

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Executive spotlight

With more than 30 years’ experience in business, finance, and IT, Darren worked in multiple executive roles at Optus and IBM before founding Rohling International in 2012. 

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Government Policy

“Legislated to make a loss”: Resthaven CEO Darren Birbeck calls for urgent action on aged care funding

The CEO of the South Australian Not For Profit has warned the Federal Government that aged care providers are being “legislated to make a loss” under current reforms, in his contribution to The Weekly SOURCE’s political wishlist series ahead of the 3 May Federal Election.

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Caroline Egan

23 Apr 2025

Development

Arcare opens latest facility in Melbourne’s east – with five more homes to come online in 2025

The private operator, owned by the Knowles family, continues to be one of the most prolific builders in the residential aged care sector. Pictured (left to right): Kate Garvey, Client Services Manager at Arcare Ringwood, DCM Group Editor Lauren...

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Lauren Broomham

23 Apr 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

Most aged care operators expected to see M&A activity within three years: LEADERS SUMMIT presentations now available

Investor interest in Australia’s aged care and retirement living sectors is gaining momentum, with most providers likely to experience merger or acquisition activity within the next three years. Hugo Dudley-Smith, Managing Director of M&...

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Community Living

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Mergers & Acquisitions

Exclusive: Levande buys four new sites for retirement villages

Levande adds four new sites to its $2B growth plan, including major developments in Sydney, Melbourne, and Geelong.

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Ian Horswill

Opinion

Why 20 May is more important to the retirement living sector than Election Day

The Baby Boomer generation is being ignored by the Labor and Liberal-National Coalition parties as the Gen Y and Gen Z become the increasingly dominant generations and this will not change.

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Ian Horswill

Community Living

SATURDAY means business: on Friday, Issue 97 explores solutions to the care crisis

There is nothing like a SATURDAY subscription magazine in the residential and home care and retirement living sectors. Fortnightly SATURDAY examines the issues that are affecting the delivery of care for C-suite executives. On Friday at 12pm, Issue...

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Ian Horswill

Retirement and Community Living

“This is a cruel cash grab at the worst possible time”

The Retirement Living Council (RLC) is calling on Cairns Regional Council to abandon its “cash grab plan” to increase rates for retirement village residents during the cost-of-living crisis, with fixed income pensioners the worst hit if the move...

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Ian Horswill

Community Living

Adrian Puljich, GemLife CEO, a disrupter in land lease communities: LEADERS SUMMIT 2025 presentation videos now available on YouTube

The private operator spoke about the “insatiable demand” for affordable and a premium product and how he is continually reviewing his product, with lifestyle resorts to be launched in South Australia and the Northern Territory. He also spoke...

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Ian Horswill

Retirement and Community Living

SunLife’s first freehold venture for Over 55s has just one of 56 homes left

Developer Tim Wright is adamant he is not a retirement village operator or aged care provider. He is targeting the middle to upper affluent market (such as 60+) with freehold, quality facility and community, plus utilise the power of the “invest retire” financial model.

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Ian Horswill

Redevelopments

Anglicare Sydney lodges State Significant Development plan to redevelop part of its 43ha site in Castle Hill

The Concept Master Plan & Stage 1 DA for part of the site, 34km northwest of Sydney’s CBD, which currently houses seven retirement villages and five residential aged care homes, has been lodged with the NSW Government. Laurie Boxwell...

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Ian Horswill

Aged Care

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Aged Care

SATURDAY means business: Why Whiddon is done waiting for the system to change

Frustrated with red tape, workforce shortages and broken regional services, Whiddon CEO Chris Mamarelis (pictured) is taking matters into his own hands with a bold new initiative to reform health and aged care – from the ground up. What’s the...

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Mergers & Acquisitions

Most aged care operators expected to see M&A activity within three years: LEADERS SUMMIT presentations now available

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

News & Headlines

Appeal set for ex-NSW police officer who avoided jail over aged care Taser death

A court date has been set for the appeal of the sentence handed to former NSW Police officer Kristian White (pictured above right), who was convicted of the manslaughter of 95-year-old Clare Nowland (pictured above left) last month. The NSW Court of...

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Opinion

Aged care isn’t fixed – so why are we not talking about it?

If you tuned into yesterday’s National Press Club debate between Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and Shadow Minister, Anne Ruston, hoping for a meaningful discussion on aged care – you would have been sorely disappointed.

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Aged Care

“Impossible targets and no roadmap”: Clarence Village CEO Duncan McKimm calls for aged care policy reset

The CEO of Clarence Village, a stand-alone Not For Profit aged care provider in regional New South Wales, says aged care is being held back by unrealistic staffing mandates, a lack of infrastructure finance, and the absence of a national plan – warning the current system risks leaving 130,000 older Australians without care by 2035.

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Government Policy

Last-minute demand for new CHSP service agreements make 1 July deadline “truly impossible”: Ageing Australia

The aged care peak body Ageing Australia has warned that more than 830,000 older Australians could be left without essential services due to a surprise new requirement under the upcoming Aged Care Act. Under the change, Commonwealth Home Support...

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Lauren Broomham

23 Apr 2025

Development

Estia Health breaks ground on new 124-bed aged care home in Adelaide

The private operator has held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on its latest residential aged care facility in Findon, 9km northwest of Adelaide. As we have reported, Estia Health lodged the plans for the site, which was...

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Lauren Broomham

23 Apr 2025

Aged Care

Colliers launches new tool to help operators identify RAD uplift opportunities

With the aged care sector facing ongoing reform and cost pressures in the aged care sector, the professional services firm has developed a new data-driven platform designed to help providers assess and unlock the pricing potential of their...

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Lauren Broomham

23 Apr 2025

Development

Arcare opens latest facility in Melbourne’s east – with five more homes to come online in 2025

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Lauren Broomham

23 Apr 2025

Home Care

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Opinion

Aged care isn’t fixed – so why are we not talking about it?

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Lauren Broomham

24 Apr 2025

Aged Care

Anglicare Southern Queensland reveals new branding to take it into the future

Anglicare Southern Queensland, which has 28 aged care homes and 35,000 home care and disability customers, has refreshed its branding with the assistance of creative agency Hero. Chief Client Officer, Chloe Henry, says, “The changes will help enable us to better tell our story and connect with Queenslanders.“

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Caroline Egan

23 Apr 2025

Government Policy

“Legislated to make a loss”: Resthaven CEO Darren Birbeck calls for urgent action on aged care funding

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Caroline Egan

23 Apr 2025

Saturday

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DIGITAL EDITION

Saturday

Issue 97 | Fixing aged care: providers leading the way

Issue 96 | Is aged care ‘fixed’?

Issue 95 | LEADERS SUMMIT Special: Designing your next decade

Issue 94 - Lou Pascuzzi - Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, TLC Healthcare

Issue 93 | Man on a mission

Issue 92 | Disrupting the land lease model

Lauren Broomham

14 Feb 2025

Saturday

Part 2 of our Innovators series in first SATURDAY magazine of 2025

In our first edition of SATURDAY for 2025, we profile Group Homes Australia, Silverchain, and Home Instead, and others.

Issue 90 | The innovators shaping the sector

Issue 89 | Pioneers never stop growing

Issue 88 | DCM Institute: Striving for excellence

Issue 87 | Getting ‘match fit’ for the future

Issue 86 | The Landings: the private aged care success story

Lauren Broomham

11 Oct 2024

Conversation at the Wharf

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Retirement and Community Living

Westpac Leading Conversations: Will Baby Boomers pay for additional village care beyond Home Care Packages?

The third video from the Westpac/DCM Group lunch in Adelaide gives great insight into where retirement living is heading as the need for care services in retirement villages rises. The question: Will Baby Boomers pay for additional village care...

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Ian Horswill

Partnering With Westpac

“Are you going to increase your village staffing, with the emphasis on care?” Westpac Leading Conversations in Adelaide

DCM Group CEO Chris Baynes at the latest Westpac Leading Conversations at the Wharf in Adelaide asked “Are you planning to increase your village staffing?” David Moran, CEO of Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC; Jenny Hall, CEO of Uniting S...

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Ian Horswill

Partnering With Westpac

Westpac Leading Conversations in Adelaide: Are retirement villages already low care?

DCM Group CEO Chris Baynes at the latest Westpac Leading Conversations at the Wharf in Adelaide asked “Are retirement villages already ‘low care’?”

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Ian Horswill

Partnering With Westpac

VIDEO: ‘Retirement village operators are having to provide at least low care’

The latest Westpac Leading Conversations at the Wharf in Brisbane featured Sean Graham, CEO of Aura Holdings; Jason Eldering, CEO of Southern Cross Care Queensland; Daniel Aitchison (pictured right), CEO of Palm Lake Care; Kaizaad Mehta, National...

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Ian Horswill

Spotlight Sponsored Content

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Spotlight

They say quality is never an accident – it’s a habit.

By Daniel Gannon In Australia’s retirement living sector, we want to see quality all-round, all the time, in all villages, across all jurisdictions, and our goal is very much intentional We know quality equates to happier, healthier communities...

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Sasja Bouwman

DIGITAL EDITION

SATURDAY Issue 72

Risky business: the challenge of dementia in the retirement village

With an increasing number of retirement village residents living with some form of cognitive impairment – and few avenues for operators to move them to higher-level care – how can village operators protect themselves and their communities? With...

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Lauren Broomham

DIGITAL EDITION

SATURDAY Issue 71

Does this look like an aged care facility to you? Why this provider wants more people living with dementia to stay at home

With people living with dementia for an average of 10 to 12 years, more Australians than ever are living with dementia at home – is it time for a rethink of the ageing journey? People living with dementia can live well at home, but it requires...

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Lauren Broomham

DIGITAL EDITION

SATURDAY Issue 70

From the top down: why dementia is now core business for village operator Keyton

The math doesn’t lie. Retirement villages are seeing an increase in the number of residents living with dementia – so how can operators get on the front foot? With the average age of retirement village residents now 81, and one in three...

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Lauren Broomham

What's On

See more events

Development

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Development

Arcare opens latest facility in Melbourne’s east – with five more homes to come online in 2025

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Lauren Broomham

Development

Estia Health breaks ground on new 124-bed aged care home in Adelaide

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Lauren Broomham

Development

Gold Coast site approved for 130-bed aged care home for sale through receivers

The nearly 9,000sqm site in Parkwood, 5km from the heart of the Gold Coast, is owned by SDA Property’s No 4 Pty Ltd, which has gone into administration.

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Caroline Egan

Redevelopments

Anglicare Sydney lodges State Significant Development plan to redevelop part of its 43ha site in Castle Hill

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Ian Horswill

Government

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Opinion

Aged care isn’t fixed – so why are we not talking about it?

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Lauren Broomham

Aged Care

“Impossible targets and no roadmap”: Clarence Village CEO Duncan McKimm calls for aged care policy reset

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Lauren Broomham

Government Policy

Last-minute demand for new CHSP service agreements make 1 July deadline “truly impossible”: Ageing Australia

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Lauren Broomham

Government Policy

“Legislated to make a loss”: Resthaven CEO Darren Birbeck calls for urgent action on aged care funding

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Caroline Egan

Home Care

$1.3M awarded, $18.7M left untouched: home care sector slams aged care IT grant rollout

Just 119 of Australia’s 1,600 home care providers have received funding under the Federal Government’s Aged Care Act Transition Support 2024–25 grant program, according to data published on GrantConnect.

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Caroline Egan

Aged Care

Not For Profit Scalabrini will invest $750,000 in Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements in FY25 as 90 staff become permanent residents

Scalabrini CEO Richard de Haast and members of the board attended an afternoon tea earlier this month as the Not For Profit celebrated more than 70 of its staff becoming permanent residents of Australia, thanks to the Federal Government’s Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements.

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Caroline Egan

Home Care

Support at Home reforms must be staged: HammondCare CEO Andrew Thorburn’s ‘political wishlist’

The next Government must move swiftly to address growing concerns and move to a staged implementation of Support at Home reforms, says Andrew Thorburn, CEO of HammondCare.

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Caroline Egan

Opinion

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: aged care on a collision course with care minutes

With just 12 months until care minutes are linked with funding, residential aged care providers are facing a lose-lose scenario: lose funding if they understaff but fail to be compensated if they exceed targets, says Shalain Singh, Managing Director and CEO of Arrow Advisory Group.

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Lauren Broomham

Government Policy

Nearly 500 aged care homes have COVID-19 vaccination rates below 10%

Nearly one in five residential aged care homes have had fewer than 10% of their residents vaccinated against COVID-19 in the last 6 months, the recommended dosage for people over 75, according to data published by the Department as of 9 April 2025.

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Caroline Egan

Housing News

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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...

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Ian Horswill

Topic - Housing News

Sydney Anglican Property lodging DAs to renew two sites with housing for women over 55 included

Social and affordable housing is much-needed in Sydney’s southwest and two projects delivering almost 260 such homes have been successful under Round 1 of the Albanese Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). However, as the Coalition...

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Ian Horswill

Community Living

Catholic Care in partnership to provide housing for women 55+

The Diocese of Parramatta’s social welfare agency is working with the Older Women’s Network Blue Mountains to address the plight of housing insecurity and homelessness for women aged 55 and over in the region on the outskirts of western Sydney...

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Ian Horswill

Sector Moves & People

Former Ingenia Communities executive Kate Melrose appointed Non Executive Director of community housing provider Evolve Housing

Kate was a lead in the growth of the ASX-listed Ingenia Communities for 10 years, almost solely as Executive & General Manager Project Sales. She spent the final 10 months in a part-time role as Principal Advisor Stakeholder Engagement and...

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Ian Horswill

Government Policy

Vasey RSL Care secures $5.7M for acute housing for veterans

The leading provider of ex-service accommodation, care and support is creating The V Satellite, in Geelong, Victoria, to provide transitional accommodation and support services to veterans in need after securing $4.3 million from the Australian...

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Ian Horswill

Housing News

Albanese’s $10B housing fund announced in June 2023 has not seen a new home built

Housing Australia said last week it has entered into 29 funding agreements with preferred applicants, supporting the delivery of 2,107 social and affordable homes, but none have commenced construction. Under Round One of the Housing Australia Future...

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Ian Horswill

Sector Moves & People

BaptistCare announce leadership team for new entity after merger finalised

The successful completion of the merger between Baptcare(VIC, TAS, SA), Baptist Care SA and BaptistCare (NSW, ACT, WA) has been announced with the new entity to be known as BaptistCare. “This merger is about much more than pooling resources; it’s...

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Ian Horswill

Housing

SATURDAY magazine – it’s your business: affordable seniors’ housing on the back of a ute

Designed for ageing in place? Check. Up to three or four bedrooms? Check. Can be folded down to 2.5 metres wide? Check. Innovative VanHomes is making the old granny flat look like the doghouse. Full story in SATURDAY magazine. Considering...

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Ian Horswill

Housing News

Toowoomba car park fast-tracked by Qld Govt for affordable Build to Rent

BTR’s second wind is having impact with the housing crisis. 75 apartments will be built on a car park in the centre of the city, 132km west of Brisbane, with work beginning this week. It is a Brisbane Housing Company (BHC) project, one of 17...

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Ian Horswill

Housing News

Largest BTR announced in Sydney’s inner west where retirement living is few and far between

With financial incentives making it possible Rent to Live Co, a spin-off by the founders of student housing provider Scape, has announced a $1.5 billion Marrickville Timberyards development with almost 1,200 rental units, including 115 affordable...

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Ian Horswill

Opinion

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Opinion

Aged care isn’t fixed – so why are we not talking about it?

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Lauren Broomham

Opinion

Why 20 May is more important to the retirement living sector than Election Day

The Baby Boomer generation is being ignored by the Labor and Liberal-National Coalition parties as the Gen Y and Gen Z become the increasingly dominant generations and this will not change.

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Ian Horswill

Opinion

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: aged care on a collision course with care minutes

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Lauren Broomham

Opinion

Scape moving to acquire Aveo is good news – here is why

It was revealed in the Financial Review this week that Australian student accommodation giant Scape is now the exclusive bidder to buy Aveo, for an indicated $3.5B. They will bring fresh thinking to the retirement village sector. Take a step back...

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Chris Baynes

Opinion

Is Trump the golden ticket for aged care?

Hear me out – here’s the thinking. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the headlines: US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on imports have rattled global financial markets – Australia included.

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Lauren Broomham

Funding

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Funding

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

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Ian Horswill

Funding

GemLife’s owners look at becoming a public company for second time

Adrian Puljich and Singapore’s Thakral Corporation have reached out to JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley to set up introductory meetings with listed equities investors to see if there is sufficient interest in an Initial Public Offering for GemLife...

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Ian Horswill

Funding

David Di Pilla sells substantial part of his 8% stake in Ingenia Communities

The HMC Capital Managing Director has sold down its stake as it raised $150 million to its balance sheet as it prepares to buy Brookfield Asset Management’s Healthscope, the second largest operator of private hospitals in Australia. David Di Pill...

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Ian Horswill

Government Policy

$300M first round of Support at Home Thin Market Grants opens

This week Aged Care Minister Anika Wells announced the Support at Home Thin Markets Grant is open, with Home Care Package and Short-Term Restorative Care providers in outer regional, rural and remote areas or providers delivering care in specialised markets able to apply.

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Caroline Egan

Funding

Looking to buy? Keyton increases debt with retirement living sector’s first green loan

When the leading owner and operator of retirement villages put its Western Australia portfolio up for sale last September, speculation rose why it needed the money. Now Keyton has increased its debt facilities to $1.3 billion with a significant...

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Ian Horswill

Development

Purrkanaitya Aboriginal Elders Village in Bedford Park, SA, building begins after $5.15M grant

The elders’ village in the southern suburb of Adelaide will include 40 culturally appropriate one-bedroom social dwellings, which will include the necessary infrastructure to promote independent living within a community setting for Aboriginal...

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Ian Horswill

Sector Moves & People

QLD nurses’ union seeks FWC approval to negotiate pay and conditions with three aged care providers in sector first

The Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union has asked the FWC if it can begin multi-enterprise supported bargaining with Anglicare Southern Queensland, Superior Care Group, and Catholic Healthcare Limited.

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Caroline Egan

Funding

Bain Capital-owned Estia Health reportedly secures $300M finance line

Estia Health has secured $300 million in financing from Japanese Bank Nomura, according to The Australian Financial Review’s Street Talk column.

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Caroline Egan

Government Policy

200 patients still lying in SA hospitals waiting for aged care beds

It would take two large aged care homes to house all the older patients in South Australian hospitals ready to be discharged, but waiting to be offered an aged care bed. The Peter Malinauskas Labor Government’s promise to build more than 600 new...

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Caroline Egan

Government Policy

Hourly updates on Senate Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 in Canberra today

The Senate Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 will hold eight hearings around the country this month, with the Inquiry expected to be wrapped up by the end of the year. Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care Ian Yates is the first to appear before the inquiry in Canberra on 3 October 2024.

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Caroline Egan

News & Headlines

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News & Headlines

Appeal set for ex-NSW police officer who avoided jail over aged care Taser death

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Lauren Broomham

Opinion

Is Trump the golden ticket for aged care?

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Lauren Broomham

News & Issues

In SATURDAY: what do retirement village residents want from the next Federal Government?

With less than four weeks until the election on 3 May, retirement village residents’ associations are raising concerns over the growing complexity retirees face in navigating the aged care and housing systems. The NSW Retirement Village Residents’...

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Lauren Broomham

Out of the Ordinary

Mark Bindon told LEADERS SUMMIT 2024 he’d be back. Now, he returns with Kado Residences — high-end, wellness-infused retirement living with three premier coastal locations revealed

The visionary Founders of Oak Tree Group, Mark Bindon and Franco DePasquale, have launched Kado Group, their latest venture alongside General Manager Melissa Luck, also formerly of Oak Tree. Bringing together a trusted team from their former brand...

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Ian Horswill

Out of the Ordinary

“I can still recall the curious smirks and audible laughter”: LDK Seniors’ Living takes $200M plus for new village Amberfield without advertising

Bryon Cannon, CEO of what he told the LEADERS SUMMIT 2025 is a home care operator within a retirement village setting, urged the retirement living executives to consider breaking from the DMF model. LDK Seniors’ Living Village Membership, which is...

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Ian Horswill

Legal Issues

Former police officer avoids jail for Taser death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland

Four months after being found guilty of the manslaughter of Clare Nowland, Yallambee Lodge aged care resident in Cooma, former NSW Senior Constable Kristian White has walked free from court following his sentencing hearing.

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Lauren Broomham

News & Headlines

Five years on, the COVID-19 virus is still in 104 aged care homes

Five years after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020, its impact is still being felt in residential aged care.

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Caroline Egan

Health

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Opinion

LEADERS SUMMIT 2025: ‘wellness’ and reablement should be key to future strategy for sector

Australia is already struggling to meet growing demand for care and support and this will only worsen with the ageing population - the focus must shift to reaching people before they require hospital-level treatment with much of the responsibility falling on aged care and retirement living operators.

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Lauren Broomham

Home Care Delivery

Five Good Friends - revolutionising homecare: a self-service platform that connects people with the best care and health solutions in their community

Live well at home - Life changing care at home and helping people live engaged and successful lives in the homes & communities they love. All of Five Good Friends’ home service tools are available via our mobile app. NDIS approved

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Group Editor

Government Policy

Is this the only way badly needed new aged care beds will be built?

Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown, through council general manager Greg Doyle, has written to NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully to consider a scheme to incentivise investment in residential aged care on the NSW South Coast. The...

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Ian Horswill

Technology

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Technology

Amplar Health signs $1M deal with Visionflex for aged care virtual nursing pilot

The Medibank-owned innovator Amplar Health has signed a deal with ASX-listed telehealth firm Visionflex to provide software and hardware for the virtual nursing trial being conducted across 30 Australian aged care homes, commencing in July 2025 with five sites.

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Caroline Egan

Technology

AlayaCare partners with Simple Foods to help aged care providers meet incoming food and nutrition standard

Leading aged care software provider AlayaCare has announced a partnership with Simple Foods, with plans to integrate the safety management and meal ordering software into its Residential Platform, helping providers more easily meet the incoming Aged Care Act Standard 6 related to food and nutrition.

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Caroline Egan

Technology

Altura Learning launches new compact learning modules for aged care staff

As aged care workers face increasing demands on their time, Altura Learning has created a new range of compact learning modules designed to deliver streamlined content to the sector.

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Lauren Broomham

Technology

100-year-old Joe receives care at home. Can we make this the rule not the exception?

Emma Cornwell, Executive GM Health Services with Australian Unity, and Bev Smith, Chief Commercial Officer with Amplar Health, told the Leaders Summit how scarce clinical resources can be assisted with virtual care.

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Caroline Egan

Mergers & Acquisitions

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Mergers & Acquisitions

Most aged care operators expected to see M&A activity within three years: LEADERS SUMMIT presentations now available

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Lauren Broomham

Mergers & Acquisitions

Exclusive: Levande buys four new sites for retirement villages

Levande adds four new sites to its $2B growth plan, including major developments in Sydney, Melbourne, and Geelong.

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Ian Horswill

Mergers & Acquisitions

Sid Gupta buys his third retirement village in regional NSW

Shane Nicholson, Director and Principal of ACSL Property, in conjunction with Colliers, announced last Thursday he sold the retirement village with 32 independent living units, with approval for a further 27 units, in the town of Cootamundra, in the...

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Ian Horswill

Mergers & Acquisitions

Opal HealthCare acquires Cranbrook Care’s five aged care homes

Australia’s largest residential aged care provider has acquired five aged care homes from private operator Cranbrook Care, located in Kanwal on the NSW Central Coast, and Kellyville, Neutral Bay, Abbotsford and Bella Vista in Sydney.

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Caroline Egan

Mergers & Acquisitions

Vacant Mercy Health facility in Newport, Melbourne, sells for $154K per bed

The 37-bed aged care home in Newport, 7km southwest of the Melbourne CBD, has been acquired from Not For Profit Mercy Health for $5.7 million.

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Caroline Egan

Mergers & Acquisitions

Exclusive: Chiou See Anderson sells her two retirement villages

The 123-unit Elements @Springwood, in Queensland’s City of Logan, and the 45-unit Elements @Con Noi Carindale, 13km southeast of Brisbane’s GPO, have a new owner. Chiou See has told us the NSW-based Hunter Group has bought her two villages; they...

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Ian Horswill

Mergers & Acquisitions

Scape reportedly in exclusive talks to buy retirement village operator Aveo

The student accommodation provider, working with Macquarie Capital and Deutsche Bank on due diligence, is likely to call on the two banks and Scape’s capital partners to buy the $3 billion plus business owned by Brookfield. Brookfield put Aveo up...

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Ian Horswill

Mergers & Acquisitions

In just six years Vivacity Property and capital partner RF Corval have now built a portfolio of six land lease community projects

The owner/operator has conditionally acquired with their capital partner “three contiguous sites located in regional New South Wales for the proposed development of a new land lease community”. This is in addition to Tallowood Meadowie in...

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Ian Horswill

The Economy

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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

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Ian Horswill

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

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Lauren Broomham

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

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Caroline Egan

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...

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Caroline Egan

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...

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Ian Horswill

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...

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Caroline Egan

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...

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Caroline Egan

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...

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Section Editor

Topic - Aged Care

Anglicare Sydney pledges to reimburse study debt after one year’s service

Anglicare Sydney has launched a new program to support nurses – it will pay off student debt for employee nurses after one year of study. The new program already has more than 100 interested trainee nurses. Anglicare Sydney’s Chief Executive...

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Section Editor

Topic - Aged Care

Even with 15% pay rise, aged care staff are still earning less than their public hospital colleagues

Even after the 15% pay rise, entry level Registered Nurses working in aged care on the Award will still be earning 17% less than their public hospital counterparts. Data provided by the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF) shows that...

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Section Editor

Topic - Aged Care

15% wage rise won’t deliver financial sustainability to aged care sector: StewartBrown

The aged care accounting firm has released its analysis of the Government’s funding for a 15% wage increase for aged care workers in the Budget – concluding that the extra funding will fail to deliver the financial sustainability that the sector...

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Section Editor

International

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International

New York State Attorney General sues land lease operator over water so polluted residents have to boil it

New York Attorney General Letitia James last Thursday filed a lawsuit against River Valley Estates, LLC (River Valley), a mobile home park in Sullivan County, and its operators, George Levin and Gayla Sue Levin, for years of failing to maintain...

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Ian Horswill

International

EQT’s Metlifecare increases retirement village portfolio by 50% in 3.5 years

Since leaving the New Zealand stock exchange in 2020 when Swedish private equity firm EQT took over the business, the Auckland-based operator has been transformed by its five-year Full Potential Plan initiated in 2021. “We really have gone through...

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Ian Horswill

International

Promotional video for a senior living resort has 6.4M views – shame it’s not in Australia

Said to be Malaysia’s first purpose-built senior living resort, Millennia Village in Seremban, approximately an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, is on a13ha site. It is the brainchild of John Chia, Chairman and Managing Director of semiconductor...

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Ian Horswill

Development

Building of retirement villages in New Zealand falls to six-year low as costs hits record high

Only 350 retirement village units were approved across the Tasman Sea in the second quarter of 2024, according to interest. co. nz, which represents a fall of 31% on two years ago. At the same time the average build cost per retirement village unit...

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Ian Horswill

International

Various payment systems at top four UK retirement villages

Research from online care platform Lottie reveals the country’s most popular retirement villages and the difference in how residents Over 55 pay to live in them. Retirement living is not cheap in England with the average price to buy in of nearly...

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Ian Horswill

Not for Profit

Only in SATURDAY: Community Home Australia (CHA) weighs up Bali ‘village’ for Aussie expats

The ink is barely dry on the deposit for its first international resort in Bali, but the innovative dementia care and disability provider already sees further opportunities to expand into accommodation for the growing Australian expat community. As...

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Lauren Broomham

Retirement and Community Living

Time to raise your prices? Look at what is charged for assisted living in the US

A Queensland aged care and retirement living operator told me after a recent tour of the US that his only thought was that his prices were too low. More than 30,600 assisted living facilities are currently active in America, with an average...

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Ian Horswill

Community Living

Can this happen in Australia? UK’s best new building is a retirement village

John Morton Centre, a day centre for residents of Morden College, a retirement community in south-east London, England, has been named winner of the 2023 RIBA Stirling prize for the best new building in the country. “At a time when adult social care...

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Ian Horswill