ACT Government Attorney General rules out Retirement Village Ombudsman

The Retirement Living Council (RLC) and Property Council of Australia have welcomed the announcement that the ACT Government has decided not to appoint the nation’s first Retirement Living Ombudsman. In December last year John Beagle, a resident at Keyton’s The Grove Retirement Village in Ngunnawal, lodged a petition with the Legislative Assembly calling for a Retirement Village Ombudsman to handle and rule on complaints from residents. “We’re not going to solve the nation’s housing crisis by adding more red tape to the mix,” RLC Executive Director Daniel Gannon (pictured) said.

Daniel said the latest PwC/Property Council Retirement Census showed the ACT Government should turn its attention to land supply. “Retirement community occupancy in Canberra is the highest in Australia at 95%, which represents effectively full capacity,” he said.

“Concerningly, the three-year development supply pipeline of retirement units in the ACT fell by more than half to 234 dwellings compared to the previous census forecast of 569 dwellings.

“Injecting more appropriate supply into the ACT’s housing market would give consumers an accommodation option that is 43% cheaper than the median house price.” The Property Council’s ACT and Capital Region Executive Director Shane Martin said the Retirement Village Ombudsman decision comes as a result of important cooperation between all key stakeholders. The SOURCE: The decision is sensible as residents can complain to the ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal.