The Sydney Morning Herald -Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert, Fergus Hunter
"In a series of stories, Fairfax Media and ABC's Four Corners uncovered questionable practices by one of the biggest listed operators, Aveo, while it was raking in huge profits.
New HAAG chair Phyll Williams talks about the biggest issues in older people's housing, and her vision and goals for the future. If you want to get in touch you can call us on (03) 9654 7389.
Four corners ran a fantastic episode last night on dodgy retirement housing opporator AVEO, and other articles have recently been published that expose many of the problems residents of retirement housing have been facing for a long time – complicated contracts, unfair fees and issues with management. Unfortunately, these are not isolated problems with one operator, they occur across the whole of the retirement housing industry, and we must continnue to push for reform.
Despite a groundswell of complaints, problems in retirement villages remain rife, particularly at Aveo, where even the savviest customers can end up defeated. So who’s in charge of the sector and how accountable are they?
"Its slick marketing promises a safe and sound place to live yet retirement village operator Aveo is making a fortune by ripping off Australians through complex contracts and eye-watering exit fees"...
Council on the Ageing's National Policy Forum will place the spotlight on what housing means in later life and explore current policy issues and future trends around housing for older Australians. Jeff Fiedler will be speaking on behalf of the Ageing on the Edge - National Action Project about actions we need to take to prevent homelessness amongst older people.
The Government has recently responded to the 2016 Access to Justice Review, prepared by the Department of Justice and Regulation.HAAG made a submission to this review, which included six background papers and related terms of reference.
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."