Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Very good—I thank the member for Barker. Retirement villages are springing up around my electorate very, very quickly. My electorate is a rapidly growing one. In areas where previously there were farms, we're now getting aged-care homes, retirement villages and new buildings. Very frequently, my office is being contacted by people from the retirement villages with a number of complaints. The retirement villages that I have seen and been into my electorate seem to me to be very, very good. But the legislation around their management, which is predominantly state legislation, is unclear, and questions often arise as to people's obligations; the obligations of the owners of the retirement villages; and things like maintenance costs, increases in levies, what happens when the accommodation is sold, for whatever reason, and what happens to the assets.

I think the Minister for Aged Care is doing a wonderful job addressing the negligent attitude of the previous government regarding retirement villages, particularly after COVID and the effects that have happened. It is important that the Commonwealth government has national oversight of this industry, as it will be a more harmonious coalition between aged-care residents and Commonwealth funded programs compared to the states and the different packages they offer and in terms of legislation.

I am proud to be part of a government that cares deeply about the aged-care sector and about the retirement living sector. Elderly people rely on proper management and proper legislation to make sure these homes are adequately oversighted and appropriately managed. We are an ageing population, and more people are going to require support as they enter into retirement living. Things like aged care et cetera are very important in providing services into the retirement living space.

This government has introduced budget measures to put in place a number of complaints processes in the aged-care sector, and the same could be done in the retirement living sector. With an ageing population, we're all living longer, and we're seeing that the retirement living sector is booming. However, I think legislation has been quite slow in coming to terms with the implications for the aged-care sector and also transitioning from retirement living into aged care. More must be done, and it is being done by the Albanese government, and I congratulate the minister. It is important that we know that our retirement living sector is adequately managed and that people feel that they are supported whilst they are in retirement living places. There's more to be done in terms of health care in retirement living, and design is very important. Again, this is important in Commonwealth legislation. We need to be looking at things like air quality, facilities for exercise, facilities for entertainment and support for people as they get older so that they can stay independent in their own homes for longer.

This is going to require quite significant review by government, and the Commonwealth government must get involved with this. We can't leave it to the states to continue managing the retirement living sector, as they had done with many of the aged-care facilities, and we saw what happened to residential aged care. So it's very important the same thing doesn't happen in retirement living spaces. Much more needs to be done. There needs to be more oversight. The government is aware of that and is putting in place measures to deal with all of those issues, and I'm sure that better outcomes will happen because of that.

I thank the Member for Mayo for moving this motion. I know she cares very deeply about this issue, and I thank her for her support.

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