RETIREE PROTECTION AIM OF BEAMER VISIT

MINISTER for Fair Trading Diane Beamer was in Kiama last Wednesday to speak about the State Governments planned reforms to the Retirement Village Act.

Speaking to around 40 residents of Blue Haven Retirement Village, Mrs Beamer was joined by Kiama MP Matt Brown to explain the proposed law changes.

These reforms are aimed at addressing the concerns that some retirees have put forward and providing more security to a vulnerable part of the community, said Mrs Beamer.

Under the proposed reforms residents of a retirement home will become secured creditors if an operator becomes insolvent, while improved safety measures and dispute settling procedures will also be introduced.

The reforms are aimed at making sure there is a fairer practice right across the board, she said.

We have spoken to a lot of people who these changes will affect and the feedback seems very positive at this stage.

We have really tried to make sure that the residents of these sorts of villages are fully protected and are also well aware of their rights.

An example of fully protecting residents is that there will now be severe restrictions placed on fees and recurrent charges on residents who leave a village.

Residents who now leave their homes will not be charged for services after the 42 day notification period as was known to happen in the past.

While conceding that the new reforms were unlikely to have an effect on the residents of the council-owned Blue Haven facility, Kiama MP Matt Brown said the reforms were aimed at providing security and peace of mind for the elderly.

Blue Haven is such a well run retirement village that I doubt many of the residents would have too much cause for complaint, he said.

There is no doubt that the elderly are sometimes more susceptible to being taken advantage of and these reforms are aimed at stopping that.

Mrs Beamer said she hoped the reforms came from a review of the Retirement Village Act and she aimed to get them though parliament by the end of the year.