Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) — (Question 7687) My constituency question is to the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation. What are the minister’s plans to strengthen the rights of residents in retirement villages in my electorate of Yuroke? I have met with residents of the Bridgewater Lake and Highlands retirement villages in my electorate, and I know that the people there are very much looking forward to hearing from the minister in response to this matter.

ANSWER:

Retirement Villages provide an important service for senior Victorians and are a key element of retirement housing in Victoria.

The government is conducting a multi-stage review of key aspects of the Retirement Villages Act 1986. Stage one of the review program is examining the aged care bond rule under the Retirement Villages (Contractual Arrangements) Regulations 2006, and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016.

As part of this stage, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) engaged a consultant to independently assess the costs to industry of the current arrangements and the financial impacts on retirement village residents of any proposals to change the aged care bond rule.

The second stage of the review program will examine the interaction between the Owners Corporations Act 2006 and the Retirement Villages Act, with the aim of consolidating and clarifying these provisions. The second stage is being undertaken as part of the Consumer Property Law Review currently being conducted by CAV. More information about this review is available from the CAV website at: consumer.vic.gov.au/consumerpropertylawreview.

The third stage is examining internal and external complaint-handling and dispute-resolution processes under the Retirement Villages Act, with the role of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in retirement village disputes being considered in the current Access to Justice Review being undertaken by the Department of Justice and Regulation. More information about this review is available from: myviews.justice.vic.gov.au/accesstojustice.  

The internal complaint-handling and dispute-resolution processes under the Retirement Villages Act will be reviewed by CAV in the second half of 2016, to take into account the work of the Access to Justice Review and ensure that the processes for resolving resident disputes are considered holistically.

Overall, the review program responds to a number of the matters that have been raised by stakeholders and targets the highest priority issues arising from regulation of the retirement villages sector. It also complements existing reviews so it can be pursued expeditiously, and having regard to the broader regulatory context.

Hon Marlene Kairouz MP
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation