ACT RVRA July 2026 Newsletter

In this Newsletter:

1. RVRA 2026 Forum Report.
2. Aged Care Surveys.
3. Topical Issues.
4. Australian Census Advice.
5. Battery Safety in Mobility Devices.
6. The Changing Face of Retirement Villages.
7. ACT RVRA News.

Attachment: notes from ACT Attorney General, Tara Cheyne’s, opening address to the 2026 Forum

Ongoing thanks to our sponsors. Please make sure you mention your connection to the ACTRVRA if you choose to make use of their services.

1  RVRA 2026 Forum Report

This year’s Association Forum was held at the Hellenic Club on Wednesday 13 May. By all reports, it was a very successful Forum. This year’s topic was “Transitioning into and Experiencing Retirement Village Living” and, as such, it was targeted towards people considering moving to a Retirement Village.

The ACT Attorney General, Tara Cheyne MLA, opened the Forum, and the speakers included Jo Twible (KJB Law) and Emma Bragg (Tetlow Legal) talking about “Village Models and Legal Considerations when Entering a Village”; Craig Phillips (Phillips Wealth Partners) talking about “Financial Considerations when entering a Village” and Karen Toohey, an ACT Human Rights Commissioner, relaying her “Experiences in Supporting Retirement Village Residents”.

The notes from Tara Cheyne’s opening address are an attachment to this newsletter, and the slides from the speakers are available on the Association’s website (https://actrvra.org.au).

A new feature of this year’s Forum was a panel of 3 current village residents being interviewed by Luisa Capezio about their experiences in their retirement villages. The panelists were Julian Cattonar (Aerie Village – run by a commercial operator), Isabel Harvey (Yarra Rossa Village – run by a not-for-profit operator) and Alan Hodges (Greenway Village – a different model of service and village financing). The panel worked very well and attracted many favourable comments.

In addition to the speakers, 12 information tables provided access to a wide range of relevant service providers.

Some 330 registrants attended the Forum – our largest number ever! Following the presentations, about 165 attendees submitted evaluation sheets and, of them, 95% rated both the relevance and presentation of the speakers as excellent and/or highly relevant.

While the Attorney General’s full speaking notes are attached, it is worthwhile noting that she recognised your Association’s role in amplifying your voices to Government, including on the Justice and Community Services Directorate (JACS) “Retirement Villages Working Group” reviewing Retirement Village legislation. As a result of that involvement, the Minister foreshadowed some quite positive amendments to that legislation in the near future (See below).

Getting older means I finally have enough experience to ignore bad advice confidently.

2  Aged Care Surveys

It seems there is a lot of focus at the moment on people’s understanding of Aged Care, particularly the changes that came into effect in November 2025. This includes several surveys focusing on the issue.

One of the recently released survey outcomes is the “Community Expectations 2026” Survey commissioned by Ageing Australia. This major survey revealed some remarkably divergent views, with those not receiving aged care services in their home revealing a lack of knowledge about the aged care system, even amongst older Australians and prospective users of the system, and uncertainty about where to seek reliable information. Confidence that the system could properly support people to age well was either negative or neutral.

Yet people with first-hand experience of aged care had a relatively high satisfaction rate. Similarly, 63% of people who care for someone receiving care support within the system were satisfied, or very satisfied, with the level of care provided.

Of interest to retirement village residents, the survey found that while 56% wanted to stay in their home, another one in three would be interested in moving into a retirement or assisted living village.

The survey concluded that there is a need for older Australians and their families to be guided and supported as they navigate age care living. This was seen as an opportunity for Governments and the aged care sector to strengthen knowledge and understanding of the aged care sector, including how it is funded, what it offers, and how it can be accessed.

Ageing Australia is a peak body supporting and representing organisations delivering care, services and housing to older Australians in metropolitan, regional and remote communities. Its full report is very comprehensive and can be accessed on Report-March-2026-at-a-glance.pdf.

A second survey that is closer to home is the Support at Home Survey 2026, recently conducted by the NSW RVRA on behalf of all State and Territory Associations.

First of all, thank you to all members who responded to the survey. Some 2,450 village residents responded to the survey nationally, so it represents a credible insight into the Commonwealth Government’s Support at Home program in retirement villages. This survey focused on the changes to home care support that came into effect in November 2025.

While the Ageing Australia survey covered a wider range of issues, this survey also found that many find the system difficult to understand and hard to access. The findings raise concerns about waiting times, out of pocket costs, reduced or unavailable services, and provider issues.

Overall, the survey findings show that retirement village residents broadly support the purpose of the Support at Home program: helping older people remain safely and independently at home. Many residents valued the assistance they received, particularly practical help, good providers and supportive case managers.

The central message is that residents want Support at Home to succeed, but they need a system that is clearer, faster, more affordable and better matched to the practical realities of ageing at home.

The results also show that retirement village living can support independence through social connection, nearby neighbours, safer and more manageable housing, emergency reassurance and reduced maintenance responsibilities.

The full survey results will be released in August, however the preliminary results are available on https://www.rvra.org.au/news/news-articles/home-survey-prelim.

A quite different survey currently open for responses is Worldviews and ways of life in Australia, in which ANU researchers are exploring how perceptions and ways of thinking (i.e. worldviews) relate to experiences and ways of living (i.e. participation and inclusion) in Australia.

They are seeking respondents for their online anonymous 15-20 min survey from any and all adult Australian citizens and permanent residents living in Australia, and they have approached your Association to facilitate the inclusion of the views of Canberra residents living in ACT retirement villages.

Interested members can access the survey here: (https://anu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Ao5q9gu3ysrbVQ)

With age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes knowing where the comfy chair is.

3  Topical Issues

JACS Retirement Villages Working Group. As the Minister acknowledged when opening our Forum, your Association is an active member of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACS) Retirement Villages Working Group. Your Association has put forward a number of issues for its consideration. These include two items that we expect will be acted on in the near future:

• Removal of the mandatory requirement for a Village Disputes Committee; and
• Expansion of the Access Canberra Retirement Village Register.

The removal of the mandatory requirement for the Disputes Committee reflects a number of relevant issues:

• Despite it currently being a mandatory requirement in the legislation, very few Villages actually have them. One key reason is the difficulty and cost of obtaining an independent chair for the Committee (as required by the legislation);
• The small number of disputes actually occurring in Villages; and
• The ACT Human Rights Commission has a specific role in relation to Village disputes.

For these reasons, and in line with feedback from many Residents Committees, your Association has supported Village Disputes Committees becoming optional, not mandatory.

The Access Canberra Retirement Village Register currently contains only basic information about each Village, and the Association has recommended that it be expanded to include information that will assist potential Village residents to identify which Villages they would want to shortlist and consider moving into. The details are now under discussion.

Vintage Reds. Another topical issue is the recent “Open Letter to all Retirement Village Residents” recently issued by the Vintage Reds of the Canberra Region. As it was widely distributed within Villages, many members will have seen it.

Unfortunately the letter paints a very negative picture of Village living experiences that is based on several misconceptions, and is quite inconsistent with the experiences of most Village residents.

As the peak organisation representing ACT Retirement Village residents, your Association is committed to presenting a realistic and balanced picture of Village life – recognizing and promoting the positives, and seeking to address things that can be improved.

Without going into details about the Vintage Reds assertions and proposals, we note that:

• Choosing to move into a Retirement Village is not a real estate investment but a lifestyle choice. In a survey in 2025, the NSW RVRA found that 84% of village residents were very satisfied with village living, including their choice to move into one. That includes their treatment by operators when contracting to enter one, and subsequently, in their 2026 survey (reported on above), 91% of residents said Village living helped them stay independent for longer.
• There is not any linked relationship between the setting of Village entry/exit payments and the capital cost of moving into residential aged care; and
• Both your Association and the Retirement Living Council strongly urge intending Village residents to obtain independent legal and financial advice, so that they can make an informed decision.

Finally, under Topical Issues, congratulations to Michelle Bennett, Village General Manager, LDK Greenway, who was recently awarded “Village Manager of the Year” at the National Retirement Living Awards for 2026.

My memory isn’t fading; it’s just curating the highlights.

4  Australian Census Night Advice

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has asked us to remind members that the next Australian Census is on Tuesday 11 August 2026.

The Census is a snapshot of Australia’s people and housing, and tells the story of how we are changing. Census data helps governments, community groups and businesses plan services for individuals, families and communities, where and when they are needed. Every household and person in Australia on Census night must be included on a Census form.

We are advised that Census staff will visit retirement villages to drop off Census forms. If you need help to complete your form you can ask a family member, friend, or trusted person to help you. The information you provide in the Census is confidential and protected by law. Your information is not shared with anyone, including other government agencies. In the Census, every answer matters to help us understand what Australia needs now and into the future.

If you have further questions, a range of information and support is available on the Census website at census.abs.gov.au/help.

Grey hairs are just wisdom highlights I didn’t have to pay for.

5  Battery Safety in Mobility Devices

Our attention has been drawn to the fact that there is an increasing risk of lithium battery fires in retirement villages, due to the increasing range and availability of mobility devices such as mobility scooters and powered wheel chairs. In many cases, village residents charge their devices in an enclosed area such as inside their unit or garage.

Unfortunately, lithium-ion battery fires can ignite without warning, rapidly escalate and produce extreme heat and toxic smoke. Significantly, most incidents are not caused by infrastructure failure but by normal behavior:

• Devices left charging for too long overnight;
• Incorrect or damaged chargers; and
• Charging in confined or unsuitable spaces.

Fortunately there are solutions, such as automatic shut off power points that can be installed where a device will be charged. By automatically cutting off power in a defined period (usually 8 hours), they remove the reliance on residents to cut off the power when the device is charged.

In response to a fatal accident where a resident’s personal wheelchair exploded in a South Australian retirement village, the CEO of the village commissioned a manufacturer to develop a power point with its own built-in timer. The result was a product called “Switch Star”, and has been recommended to both residents and village operators as a cost-effective device that may also reduce insurance premiums. However there may be other, similar products on the market, and your Association is not promoting any particular supplier or product – simply recognizing the emerging risk of lithium-ion battery fires.

Bread is like the sun – it rises in the yeast and sets in the waist.

6  The Changing Face of Retirement Villages

There are significant trends in what a retirement village offers the typical new resident entering a retirement village. This is challenging the classic retirement village model of independent living and introducing a fundamental shift in standard offerings to meet the increased expectations of new residents.

Many operators report that the average age of new residents is increasing. Yet at the same time the average length of occupancy is also increasing. One large operator reported recently that their average period of occupancy had gone from 9 years to 12 years.

There are several reasons for this, including:

• The increasing life expectancy of Australians, combined with the ageing of the “Baby Boomers” generation;
• the increasing Government emphasis on enabling Australians to remain in their home (including a retirement village home) for longer, by providing them with subsidized support to enable them to do so; and
• the failure of the residential care sector to have sufficient places to cope with the demand from those seeking such placements.

These factors are having significant impacts on village communities:

• Older incoming residents may not have the same interest or capacity to contribute to village community activities; they may be less mobile; and/or they may only be able to meet the “Independent Living” credo of the retirement village industry provided they have Support at Home care.
• Residents who have entered villages at a younger age and with greater capability for independent living will have no other option but to remain in their village home after that capability has significantly diminished.

Retirement Villages vary in the extent of support services offered to residents to help them remain the village as they age. Such support can range from:

• No support, requiring residents to navigate the Support at Home program themselves;
• In-house staff available to advise and help residents navigate the Support and Home Program including advising on available external providers;
• Offering services either through a village’s own branded provider, or contracting a specific external provider; this option can offer more seamless coordination;
• Offering on-site branded provider services that could be upgraded to residential aged care or dementia care when needed; or
• Offering accommodation in the form of a serviced apartment. Services typically include a daily meal, laundering heavy bed linen.

Naturally, where a wider range of services is offered, it has implications for the entry costs and on-going charges of these villages, and not everyone will be interested in, or prepared to pay, for those services.

Given the trend of offering additional advice and services in the newer retirement villages, it seems very likely that the expectations of prospective residents will rise over time. Operators of older villages may experience pressure to expand their services to allow new residents to age in place. Additional offerings will likely be needed if the villages are going to:

• compete with new and emerging villages; and
• cope with the increasing needs of their ageing residents.

Our village speed limit is 10 km/h, unless there are fresh scones in the community room.

7  ACT RVRA News

Following a report to last year’s Annual General Meeting, the members present indicated their support for a small membership fee increase. The Committee subsequently agreed to implement an increase of $5 per membership category which came into effect on 1 July. The new membership fees for 2026/27 are:

• Single membership $20 per annum
• Couples membership $30 per annum
• Associate membership $20 per annum

Your Committee believes that this is a very reasonable level of membership support for the Association’s activities, and, in fact, we could not provide the level and range of activities that we do without the generous support of our corporate donors.

Over the past financial year we have:

• Held a Forum attended by 330 current and prospective members, plus 40 more stall holders and presenters ( including a free lunch that was provided to attendees due to significant support from the ACT Government).
• Provided an information stall at the COTA ACT ‘Seniors and Better Ageing Expo’, and at 3 information events run by Villages and service providers;
• attended one meeting of the JACS Retirement Villages Working Group, and met with the Retirement Living Council on one occasion;
• gave 6 presentations to Villages, one presentation to a chapter of The View Club, and responded to more than 12 requests for information and advice; and
• produced 4 Newsletters in 2025-26.

So we are confident that we provide effective representation and support to our members.

However it is important to recognize that the size of our membership is a significant factor in our ability to represent the interests and perspective of Village residents to Government and Village operators.

So now that your membership renewal notice are in your inbox, please renew and support us!

In addition to being a member, there are other ways in which you can help us:

• It is critical that we can liaise and consult with every village in the ACT. Our primary avenue for doing that is via Village Residents Committees. Yet the membership of such committees change regularly and not all villages have one. Accordingly, we are seeking to have a “Village contact member” in every village – someone who can advise us when the Chairperson of the Residents Committee changes.

If you would be prepared to hold such a role in your village, please contact our President, Janine Lewis on (02) 6179 6003, and she can tell you more about how the role can be effective in assisting us to communicate with villages.

• We are also keen to recruit new members to the Association Executive. Our Committee can comprise 5 Executive office bearers and 7 general committee members, however we currently have only 6 positions filled. There is a regular turnover of members in Associations like ours, and we are always looking for new members. So, if you are interested in becoming more involved with supporting the interests of our village resident community by having a vibrant and effective Association Executive, please also contact Janine.

Attachment – notes from Attorney General, Tara Cheyne’s opening address to the 2026 Forum

• I wish to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on, and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. I acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. I also acknowledge and welcome any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.
• As the minister with responsibility for the legislation that governs retirement villages, consumer protection and property law, it’s a pleasure to have a small role in opening a forum which is the culmination of the hard work of Janine, Peter, the Committee and everyone whose work has brought today together.
• The RVRA brings people together. You amplify residents’ voices. You give prospective residents the questions to ask before they sign. And you give government a clear-eyed read on what is actually working, and what isn’t. This is vital.
• Because retirement villages aren’t just a legal framework, a housing product, or a line in an Act.
• They are homes. They are communities. And the decision to move into one is rarely just financial — it involves independence, dignity, connection, safety, and trust.
• So, “The Transition into and Experience of Retirement Village Living” is exactly the conversation Canberrans need to be having.
• There are around 42 retirement villages operating in the ACT, with approximately 4,500 independent living units That footprint is growing, with new villages and major expansions underway at LDK Amberfield, LDK Greenway Views, The Grove at Ngunnawal, RSL Life Care Bullecourt, The Henry, and Marigal Gardens.
• For those already living in a retirement village, I hope today gives you useful information, practical support, and a stronger sense of the network that is here for you.
• For those weighing the decision up, I want you to know that being unsure is normal.
• Hesitation is not a failure of nerve. It is the appropriate response to a serious decision.
• I expect almost every resident who tells you today that they moved and never looked back will also tell you, if you ask them, that there was a period before when they weren’t sure either.
• And this is your decision.
• It is not a choice being made for you. Whatever your reasons for considering this move, the decision is yours. Whether you accept or reject the claim that Government creates settings that encourage downsizing, that sort of framing ignores that this is an extremely personal decision involving people, not just infrastructure.
• Government’s clear role is to make sure that if, and when, you choose to move, the options in front of you are informed ones: clear contracts, fair costs, confidence that the operator is doing what the law requires, and somewhere to go if something goes wrong.
• I’ll be honest: some of the scepticism people carry about retirement villages is earned.
• There have been failures in retirement village settings in other parts of Australia. There have been contracts that people did not fully understand until they could not afford to leave. There have been disputes that should have been resolved earlier and weren’t. If those stories have made you cautious, that caution is reasonable. Don’t let anyone just dismiss or mollify that caution.
• Instead, do what you’re doi7ng today. Educate yourself. Be informed. Attend a forum like this. Ask the hard questions. Confirm the claims that I’m about to make.
• The people on the program today expect them.
• While nationally the retirement living sector has had a bruising few years in the press, in the ACT we’ve taken a different path. Not because our sector is perfect, but because we’ve chosen to do the work collaboratively.
• The Retirement Villages Working Group has been the quiet engine of reform in this sector in the ACT. It brings government, operators, residents, and peak bodies, including this association, into the same room, working on the same problems. The diversity of voices around the table is a feature, not a complication.
• Retirement village operators have been required for almost a year now to have an older persons wellbeing strategy. This is about preventing harm, like elder abuse, but it’s also about how the operators are protecting and supporting older Canberrans, too.
• That strategy must spell out how staff identify abuse, how it gets reported, who it gets escalated to, and the response times. Every member of staff must be familiar with it.
• Dignity in older age isn’t a sentiment. And this isn’t paperwork. It is a set of obligations on the people who run the places where you live, or are considering living, and a set of pathways for you to use when those obligations aren’t being met.
• Another concrete outcome of the working group is the public register of retirement villages, now available through Access Canberra. It gives prospective residents and their families a single, official source for identifying which villages are currently operating in the Territory. The Working Group is now scoping how to expand the information on that register, so the next person who walks in cold can start with more than a name and an address. I expect to be in a position to confirm timing on those expansions later this year.
• In partnership with the working group, the government is progressing amendments to the Retirement Villages Act this year. A clear priority is making sure departure costs and sales costs are set out so that the figures you see in your contract at the front end match, in plain English, the figures you or your estate see at the back end. No surprises.
• There has been a lot said about complaints pathways and demystifying what exists, what works, and what’s needed.
• Like any community, retirement villages can be complex. Neighbours disagree. Expectations differ. Sometimes residents and operators see things very differently.
• Having an independent, accessible and free pathways is key. And that pathway exists in the ACT Human Rights Commission. You’ll hear Karen Toohey speak later today about how complaints are handled—confidentially and even-handedly. The ACT RVRA’s own dispute resolution brochure sets out the full picture.
• There has been a live question of whether a Strata Commissioner—something we will be establishing—should cover retirement villages, and that question was interrogated through a parliamentary committee. The Committee, having heard from many of you with direct experience, concluded on the evidence before extending the Commissioner’s remit to retirement villages wasn’t warranted.
• What came through to the committee is that people actually need is better awareness of the pathways that already exist, not another layer above them.
• That is a message worth listening to. The instinct in government, when a problem is raised, is to build a new structure. Create another layer.
• Sometimes that is right. But sometimes the better answer is to make the structures that already work easier to find, easier to use, and properly resourced.
• Of course, if the existing structures are not delivering, I want to hear about it.
• Today’s forum is a gift, and a gift made possible thanks to the hard work of the RVRA, to the sponsors, and to all the organisations who are here to guide and assist.
• I hope you have a terrific day.