Retirement Living Council Executive Director, Daniel Gannon, has met the Federal Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Julie Collins, as she was told retirement villages can help to provide affordable housing for older people – but only if laws and regulations are loosened.
On his second visit to Canberra, since he took over the role last October, Daniel knows there is space in many villages, which can be made for housing people unable to afford a home.
Previous RLC Executive Director Ben Myers told us last year 400 apartments could be made available within a year.
“Retirement villages face a mix of constraints and inefficiencies in planning laws, regulations and schemes across state and local governments,” he said.
“The mismatch between the current housing stock and type of housing people need to age-in-place is well known. Building housing that is age-appropriate and in age-friendly communities is critical.”
Daniel said over the last decade, the RLC echoed the Productivity Commission’s argument that the desire of older people to age in place strongly signals a need for revision of state and local government planning regimes to reduce the barriers to the supply of new and affordable seniors housing options.
“We agree with the Productivity Commission that reforms in this area could potentially deliver the greatest gains in affordability and diversity of housing options for older Australians,” he said.
“When combined with state-based legislative barriers and supply handbrakes (like unworkable statutory buyback models), a sector that should be injecting important stock into a housing market under duress is significantly constrained.”
The Retirement Living Council is again asking the Commonwealth to investigate options to make Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) more accessible to retirement village residents, including whether the home ownership proxy indicator should be removed. This would enable more older people to afford to live in an age-friendly community.
