The Cairns Council in Queensland is forecasting its over-65 population will make up 20 per cent of the local population by 2050, with retirement villages playing a crucial role in meeting future needs.
Council’s draft report, Towards 2050: Shaping Cairns from the Beaches to the Boulders (out for consultation until 24 June), outlines a “growing need for aged care and retirement housing” to cope with ageing demand.
“Many elderly residents live alone, creating a demand for smaller, well-located housing that provides access to essential services and infrastructure, facilitating the option for them to age in place, such as retirement and respite care facilities,” the document says.
“The Cairns region is facing significant population growth, while the demographic profile of the community (and their needs) is changing – including an ageing population and increasing levels of disability.”
Despite highlighting the important role retirement communities play as its population ages, Cairns Council is pushing ahead with a “cruel cash grab” on retirement village residents.
The council is proposing to hike rates for residents, with calculations showing a pensioner living on approximately $1,100 per fortnight will be hit with an increase of up to $75 per month. For one village and its residents, this means an 800 per cent rates increase.
Property Council of Australia Retirement Living Council Executive Director, Daniel Gannon, said: “Cairns Council is selling two contrasting messages – one day they’re highlighting the importance of retirement villages, the next day they’re punishing pensioners because they live in one,” Mr Gannon said.
“Like other parts of the country, Cairns’ population will age drastically over the coming decades, meaning demand for retirement villages and age-appropriate housing will surge.
“If Council pushes ahead with plans to hike rates by up to 800 per cent, it will price older Australians out of the market, leaving them to rely on an already struggling aged care system.
“We’ve spoken to hundreds of residents who will be impacted by this proposal, and the stories are heartbreaking.
“Given the anticipated surge in the number of people over 65 in Cairns, the council should be doing everything in its power to make all age-friendly accommodation as affordable as possible.”
