Our statement on retirement villages
Retirement villages operate differently to aged care facilities and may affect the services you receive from us.
On this page
Funding and services in retirement villages
Retirement villages are governed by state and territory legislation. The Australian Government only funds and regulates aged care in both:
- residential aged care facilities
- home care packages provided in your own home.
As part of its Caring for Older Australians report, the Productivity Commission recommended that the regulation of retirement villages should remain the responsibility of state and territory governments.
Back to topOur services in retirement villages
If you live in a retirement village, you may be eligible to receive services based on your assessed clinical need. We can offer you services such as:
- home care services
- allied health treatment
- transport for treatment
- equipment through the Rehabilitation Appliances Program.
For more information on all the services you can access, visit our page on services to help support you in the home.
Retirement village operators must comply with the approved provider responsibilities set out in the Aged Care Act 1997 and its related Principles.
Back to topComplaints
If your retirement village provider fails to meet its responsibilities, you can contact the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner (Complaints Commissioner). You can call on 1800 550 552, or visit the website.
The Complaints Commissioner provides a free service and takes all complaints seriously. You can make a complaint openly, confidentially or anonymously. The Complaints Commissioner aims to:
- resolve complaints for individual care recipients quickly and effectively
- assist providers to improve the quality of their services.
Contact and Locations
If you need further information or wish to raise concerns about the retirement villages in your state or territory, the following organisations can be contacted:
Queensland:
Office of Fair Trading
GPO Box 3111
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Ph: 13 74 68
New South Wales:
NSW Fair Trading
PO Box 972
PARRAMATTA NSW 2124
Ph: (02) 9895 0111
Australian Capital Territory:
Access Canberra
GPO Box 158
CANBERRA CITY ACT 2601
Ph: (02) 6207 3000
Tasmania:
Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading
PO Box 56
ROSNY PARK TAS 7018
Ph: 1300 65 44 99
Northern Territory:
Consumer Affairs - Darwin
Department of Justice
PO Box 40946
CASUARINA NT 0811
Ph: (08) 8999 1999 or 1800 019 319
Consumer Affairs – Alice Springs
Department of Justice
PO Box 1745
ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871
Ph: (08) 8999 1999 or 1800 019 319
Western Australia:
Western Australian Department of Commerce
Consumer Protection
Locked Bag 14
CLOISTERS SQUARE WA 6850
Ph: (08) 6552 9595 or 1300 30 40 54
South Australia:
Office for the Ageing
PO Box 196
RUNDLE MALL SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8204 2420