Government Policy Aged Care Minister Anika Wells’ Brisbane 4BC radio interview turned to farce “The theme of these questions is that the system’s impenetrable,“ said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells in an interview on 4BC radio with Peter Fegan about aged care. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
Legal Issues Class action launched by Echo Law against Bupa Aged Care After seeking interested parties for nearly 12 months, class action specialist Echo Law has launched proceedings against one of Australia’s largest providers, Bupa Aged Care, on behalf of residents between 1 July 2019 and 11 April 2025. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
Government Policy What did Grant Corderoy tell LEADERS SUMMIT 2025 about aged care’s future? Presentation videos available online Grant Corderoy, Senior Partner StewartBrown, said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s capture of retirement living in planned liquidity ratio is a reflection of the merging of residential aged care and retirement living - “even though it’s not mentioned too much in the Aged Care Act it’s going to be a driver of what happens,“ he said. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Lauren Broomham 17 Apr 2025
WEEKLY SOURCE The Weekly SOURCE Subscribe to The Weekly SOURCE Complete the below form to subscribe to our newsletters Click here Group Editor 05 May 2023
Development NoosaCare tests high-end market with Kabara aged care home expansion, with further plans Not For Profit aged care operator NoosaCare has opened a six-bed extension and upgrade at its Kabara aged care home in Cooroy, 125km north of Brisbane, with larger rooms with premium outlooks commanding RADs of $830,000, “evidence” to CEO Grant Simpson there is demand for high-end rooms. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
Home Care Another Victorian local council exits home care West Wimmera Council has announced it will no longer deliver home care services due to the incoming Support at Home reforms, with Mayor Tim Meyer saying, “Council does not have the ability to comply with the new clinical and governance requirements.“ Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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... Click here Chris Baynes
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... Click here Ian Horswill
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... Click here Ian Horswill
Development Bethanie gains approval for its first land lease community in Perth The 10.6ha vacant site in the northern suburb of Perth will become the Not For Profit’s first venture in the burgeoning sector. Bethanie Bullsbrook Lifestyle Village will be the 31st site under Bethanie’s portfolio in Western Australia and one of... Click here Ian Horswill
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. Click here Caroline Egan
Community Living SATURDAY is business: The cost of living is biting deep in retirement villages In the Federal Election issue of SATURDAY, President of the Association of Residents of Queensland Retirement Villages, Judy Maynard, starkly revealed what is happening in villages she visits. “We have the situation in villages people are... Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill
Government Policy Aged Care Minister Anika Wells’ Brisbane 4BC radio interview turned to farce “The theme of these questions is that the system’s impenetrable,“ said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells in an interview on 4BC radio with Peter Fegan about aged care. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Lauren Broomham 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
DIGITAL EDITION SATURDAY Issue 96 The price must be right: preparing for the new financial world of Support at Home Home care operators are now just 51 business days away from a new program that will require them to toe the line between financial viability and the oversight of the regulator. It is time for blunt reality. From 1 July 2025, home care providers will... Click here Lauren Broomham 11 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
Legal Issues Class action launched by Echo Law against Bupa Aged Care After seeking interested parties for nearly 12 months, class action specialist Echo Law has launched proceedings against one of Australia’s largest providers, Bupa Aged Care, on behalf of residents between 1 July 2019 and 11 April 2025. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
Development NoosaCare tests high-end market with Kabara aged care home expansion, with further plans Not For Profit aged care operator NoosaCare has opened a six-bed extension and upgrade at its Kabara aged care home in Cooroy, 125km north of Brisbane, with larger rooms with premium outlooks commanding RADs of $830,000, “evidence” to CEO Grant Simpson there is demand for high-end rooms. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
DIGITAL EDITION SATURDAY Issue 96 The price must be right: preparing for the new financial world of Support at Home Home care operators are now just 51 business days away from a new program that will require them to toe the line between financial viability and the oversight of the regulator. It is time for blunt reality. From 1 July 2025, home care providers will... Click here Lauren Broomham 11 Apr 2025
Government Policy Aged Care Minister Anika Wells’ Brisbane 4BC radio interview turned to farce “The theme of these questions is that the system’s impenetrable,“ said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells in an interview on 4BC radio with Peter Fegan about aged care. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
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. Click here Caroline Egan 17 Apr 2025
DIGITAL EDITION Saturday Issue 95 | LEADERS SUMMIT Special: Designing your next decade Lauren Broomham 28 Mar 2025
DIGITAL EDITION Saturday Issue 94 - Lou Pascuzzi - Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, TLC Healthcare Lauren Broomham 14 Mar 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. Lauren Broomham 30 Jan 2025
DIGITAL EDITION Saturday Issue 88 | DCM Institute: Striving for excellence Lauren Broomham 08 Nov 2024
DIGITAL EDITION Saturday Issue 86 | The Landings: the private aged care success story Lauren Broomham 11 Oct 2024
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... Click here 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... Click here 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’?” Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill
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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here Lauren Broomham
Development NoosaCare tests high-end market with Kabara aged care home expansion, with further plans Not For Profit aged care operator NoosaCare has opened a six-bed extension and upgrade at its Kabara aged care home in Cooroy, 125km north of Brisbane, with larger rooms with premium outlooks commanding RADs of $830,000, “evidence” to CEO Grant Simpson there is demand for high-end rooms. Click here 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. Click here Caroline Egan
Development 60% of apartments sold at OnetoAnother’s new retirement village The Trentham Sandringham, VIC with prices up to $3.65M The Buxton family’s latest retirement village in the bayside suburb of Sandringham, 16km south of Melbourne’s CBD, is expected to welcome its first residents in October this year. The Trentham will evoke a five-star boutique beachside hotel with... Click here Ian Horswill
Development NSW Land and Environment Court permit changes to low rise over 55s unit block in residential street The approved $13.1 million development over four lots for 10 apartments for over 55s in Collaroy, 22km northeast of Sydney’s CBD, was rejected by Northern Beaches Council after community opposition. The applicant Collaroy Living successfully... Click here Ian Horswill
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. Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here Caroline Egan
Government Policy What did Grant Corderoy tell LEADERS SUMMIT 2025 about aged care’s future? Presentation videos available online Grant Corderoy, Senior Partner StewartBrown, said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s capture of retirement living in planned liquidity ratio is a reflection of the merging of residential aged care and retirement living - “even though it’s not mentioned too much in the Aged Care Act it’s going to be a driver of what happens,“ he said. Click here Caroline Egan
Home Care Another Victorian local council exits home care West Wimmera Council has announced it will no longer deliver home care services due to the incoming Support at Home reforms, with Mayor Tim Meyer saying, “Council does not have the ability to comply with the new clinical and governance requirements.“ Click here Caroline Egan
Government Policy Aged Care Minister Anika Wells’ Brisbane 4BC radio interview turned to farce “The theme of these questions is that the system’s impenetrable,“ said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells in an interview on 4BC radio with Peter Fegan about aged care. Click here Caroline Egan
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. Click here Caroline Egan
Government Policy Nationals leader promises fund with plan to tackle regional aged care workforce shortages Nationals leader David Littleproud announced if the Coalition comes to power it will form a Regional Australia Future Fund targeting growing the regional aged care workforce, and promised funding for two aged care homes in his Maranoa electorate: $8M for a facility in Winton and $6M to expand a Barcaldine home. Click here Caroline Egan
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
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
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
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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill
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. Click here 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... Click here 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. Click here Lauren Broomham
Government Policy Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements require review: NoosaCare CEO Grant Simpson’s ‘political wishlist’ The Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements (ACILAs), introduced by the Labor Government, are costly and the structure is “limiting”, says the CEO of two aged care homes on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Click here Caroline Egan
Opinion Since November 2021 just 485 new ILUs and 440 new beds have been ticked in NSW under new preferential laws. But green shoots are appearing In three years and five months, only six new ‘significant’ development projects have been approved as NSW State Significant Developments. None have broken ground yet. With a $20 million or $30 million entry to the system, all new villages will... Click here Chris Baynes
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
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
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
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... Click here 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... Click here 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. Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here 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... Click here 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. Click here Caroline Egan
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. Click here 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’... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here Caroline Egan
News & Headlines How much do retirement village and aged care operators pay? Now you can find out The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has published its latest set of Australian private sector employer gender gaps revealing for the first time each employers’ average remuneration, including a breakdown from frontline to senior leadership... Click here Lauren Broomham
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. Click here 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 Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill
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. Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here 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. Click here Caroline Egan
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. Click here 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. Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill
Mergers & Acquisitions Global asset manager TPG buys majority interest in home care disruptor Five Good Friends The Brisbane based aged care and disability in-home operator, founded in 2016 by Simon Lockeyer, Nathan Betteridge, Tim Russell and David Waldie, has accepted a substantial investment to keep growing its home care business. San Francisco based TPG... Click here Ian Horswill
Mergers & Acquisitions Hometown Australia buy Oasis Communities’ land lease communities The Australian arm of the US over 55s and all-age communities owner/operator Hometown America now owns and operates 60 land lease communities in NSW, Queensland and South Australia. Hometown Australia announced on Monday it had bought Oasis... Click here Ian Horswill
Mergers & Acquisitions AVID Property’s American owner buys AVJennings for $369 million Real estate giant Proprium Capital Partners and its local development arm, which operates the land lease communities brand Vantage, has bought the business founded by Albert Victor Jennings in Melbourne in 1932. AVJennings was vulnerable, as it had... Click here Ian Horswill
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here Section Editor
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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here 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... Click here Ian Horswill