This comment from Craig Bennett (above, right), President of the NSW Retirement Village Residents’ Association (RVRA) caught the attention of many at our event in Sydney last month.

Craig was part of a panel conversation at our Professional Development Day. The topic of conversation was Village Budgets, or rather the consultation process in instances when the Village Manager may have had little to no involvement in the preparation of the Budget. 

For more than a decade there has been an increase in the role of ‘support offices’ when it comes to the preparation of financial reports and Village Budgets. When we consider the increased regulatory compliance placed on operators with regards to the management of funds collected by residents each month, this makes sense.


The involvement of support offices ensures a greater level of compliance given the requirements are vastly different across each state and territory – a challenge for operators with villages in multiple jurisdictions.

There is another challenge that has emerged over the course of providing greater support for Village Managers, it is one that is becoming increasingly frustrating for residents. 

In speaking at our events across the country, representatives of the Residents Associations were aligned in their views on the troubling increase of Village Managers distancing themselves from the Budget they deliver to residents, deferring responsibility to the ‘support office.’