Credit to Daniel Gannon, Executive Director of the Retirement Living Council, who came out swinging in his regular newsletter following the leaked news that the Federal Government was not going to address the recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce in tonight’s budget. 

He and his board have spent six months travelling to Canberra and invested in two White Papers to advocate that the 200,000 retirement village homes nationally are the ideal ‘designed for purpose’ housing to support ageing Australians and deliver home care efficiently. 

Daniel persuasively argues that building more retirement village homes is a double fix for the government: a sector ready to build affordable and supportive housing, to contribute to the 1.2 million new homes goal by 2029, and reduced state and federal health costs through efficiency. 

The natural conclusion is for the government to provide support in planning approvals, so the sector can get on with the job. 

But this is not going to happen in this budget, as the government openly steers away from the foundation of the Taskforce recommendations: the concept that wealthier old Australians should co-contribute for their home care and residential accommodation. This is prickly given cost of living pressures. 

Daniel’s fierce comment: 

Our view at The SOURCE is that the Taskforce recommendations will be implemented over the next few months because they will underpin the financing of aged care for the next decade, and they need to be enshrined in the new Aged Care Act, which is likely to go before Parliament by October. 

We are also confident that retirement villages will be positively acknowledged as efficient locations to deliver care. The Federal Department of Health and Aged Care recognises villages in its planning documents, in part based on the RLC White Papers. 

But planning support is less clear. There are green shoots. As we reported last week, the NSW government’ s Transport Orientation Development (TOD) plan just released gives a 25% floor space bonus for co-located village and aged care developments within 400 metres of major transport hubs. It’s a start. 

Daniel Gannon’s spirit and the proactive development of factual White Papers is having a major impact in promoting the retirement village sector at a critical time. It’s important. 

His final words: 

“Government either wants to hit a housing home run, or swing and miss – let’s hope it’s the former.”