Chris Baynes

Will 2025 be the year the village sector realises it is no longer independent living?

Victoria has just released its new retirement village regulations, including for the first time acknowledgement of home care as a village service – operators beware.

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Chris Baynes

16 Dec 2024

Government Policy

RLC facts win the day in ABC 7.30 driven Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) review of retirement villages

Last Wednesday (10 December), the meeting of COAG was swayed that the States should stay responsible for retirement villages and new Federal regulations were not required.

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Chris Baynes

16 Dec 2024

Opinion

The legislation that will change the retirement village sector forever

The new Aged Care Act was passed in Parliament yesterday and with it Anika Wells announced 83,000 additional Home Care packages. These actions will cement care into retirement villages. Independent living will gradually disappear as a value...

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Chris Baynes

26 Nov 2024

Chris Baynes

New Aged Care Act – and Plan B co-contribution funding – was achieved just three years to the day from when the sector was called to mobilise

In November 2021, the editorial team here at DCM/The SOURCE sat down and discussed what is the future for aged care. To be blunt, there was no optimism in the sector as operators racked up month after month of financial losses.

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Chris Baynes

22 Nov 2024

Opinion

These sector CEOs provide a masterclass in professional development and generosity

It was fascinating last week to learn the extent leaders in our sector have invested in their own education. We were in Adelaide and then Perth at the DCM Institute VILLAGE SUMMITS. In each city two leaders gave their time to share their definition...

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Chris Baynes

18 Nov 2024

Opinion

StewartBrown survey and Code of Conduct essential for the retirement living sector

This week two important initiatives were announced. First StewartBrown announced it is launching an independent survey of retirement living operators, and the second is the Retirement Living Council is reducing the Code of Conduct fees, determined...

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Chris Baynes

10 Nov 2024

Opinion

Is David Di Pilla making a land lease wrap up move on Lifestyle Communities and Ingenia?

Last Thursday David Di Pilla’s HMC Capital notified the ASX it had acquired 2.69% of Lifestyle Communities. It looks like they may also have access to another 4.6%, a total of 7.3%, whilst also owning around 8% of Ingenia. What is his strategy? Di...

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Chris Baynes

05 Nov 2024

Opinion

It is time every village operator signs up to the Code of Conduct

In November 2018, Retirement Living Council President and CEO of RetireAustralia, Alison Quinn (pictured), said the final draft Retirement Living Code of Conduct had now been endorsed by the RLC members and operators were expected to sign up and...

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Chris Baynes

29 Oct 2024

Opinion

Older Australians aren’t fools and are not rusted on to the ABC anymore

Adele Ferguson and ABC 7.30 spent months building their ‘activist’ critique of the retirement villages sector, broadcast across approximately 10 days, from 30 September to 9 October. Few listened and fewer cared. Despite harnessing ABC TV, radio...

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Chris Baynes

22 Oct 2024

Opinion

Complacency comes at a cost for the retirement village sector

In the early 80s I was employed at a Sydney advertising agency. We had many smart clients but one in particular stood out: BP. The ABC 7.30 negative events of the past few weeks tell me that the retirement village sector (and the aged care sector)...

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Chris Baynes

15 Oct 2024

Opinion

It may not be obvious but retirement living and land lease operators have received a ‘win’ in new aged care announcements

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced “historic aged care reforms” on 12 September there was no mention of retirement villages or land lease communities. However, behind the new Aged Care Act and in particular co-contribution, that will be...

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Chris Baynes

24 Sep 2024

Opinion

Ryman implosion – bad things a long time coming?

The finance veteran of the Australian retirement village sector is Jim Hazel, and he never misses the opportunity to say that bad things happen; good times do come to an end. They have come to an end for Ryman Healthcare over the past six weeks...

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Chris Baynes

03 Sep 2024

Opinion

False expectations and false hopes – Neil Smith reminded us that residents are to be respected

On Sunday night Neil Smith passed away at the age of 90. It is the end of an era for me. Neil (pictured right above) was the first resident of a retirement village that I ever met. In June 2006 we were launching villages. com. au and our print...

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Chris Baynes

27 Aug 2024