The Rockliff Liberal Government has released the Retirement Villages Amendment Bill 2023 for public and stakeholder consultation.
Attorney-General and Minister for Workplace Safety and Consumer Affairs, Elise Archer, said the proposed amendment to the Retirement Villages Act 2004 will increase protections for retirement village residents.
“This Bill will further regulate the circumstances in which operators of retirement villages may increase recurrent charges or impose special levies,” the Attorney-General said.
“This addresses concerns that some increases imposed in the past have been unreasonable or not sufficiently explained to residents.
“The amendments will strengthen protections for residents of retirement villages, while ensuring retirement village operators are not prevented from making reasonable fee increases required to ensure their financial sustainability.
“Recurrent fee increases above CPI will only be permitted in specific circumstances, such as being authorised by a special resolution, for example if it is supported by at least 75 per cent of the voting residents and tenants.
“If a retirement village operator wishes to propose an increase which is not permitted under those circumstances, the operator may apply to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT), which can either approve or deny the increase.”
Consultation on the Retirement Villages Amendment Bill 2023 closes on 13 September 2023 at 5pm and feedback received will inform the Bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament before the end of the year.
The draft Bill is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.tas.gov.au/community-consultation, along with details of how to provide feedback.
