Mark McGowan’s Government has announced a new planning policy designed to fast-track aged care accommodation across the state by slashing ‘red tape’.
The new policy removes planning barriers, streamlines delivery across all local governments and introduces two new land use types – residential aged care facility and independent living complex.
The Government says it has assisted 50 aged care developments since 2017 with another 1,900 aged care beds to be made available in the coming years.
Seniors and Ageing Minister Mick Murray said the Government had taken action to help elderly residents age in place by removing barriers that prevent the development of aged care facilities.
A report found WA's rate of Commonwealth funded residential aged care is approximately 15% lower than the national average.
Interestingly, the policy makes it clear they aren’t championing retirement villages, stating that an ‘independent living complex’ should not be considered a retirement village as defined under the Retirement Village Act 1992 (WA) and vice versa.
As we covered here in December the state government was considering fast tracking of 12-month buybacks for all retirement village operators, but pulled back after intensive advocacy by the Retirement Living Council (RLC).
