COTA SA welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Draft Retirement Villages (Miscellaneous) Amendment Regulations 2025. We commend the work of the Office for Ageing Well in advancing the recommendations of the independent review of the Retirement Villages Act 2016 and acknowledge the significant progress reflected in the draft regulations.
COTA SA is broadly supportive of the draft amendments, particularly the strengthened focus on consumer protections, improved transparency, and greater clarity around the rights and responsibilities of residents, operators, and staff. Our response builds on our 2023 submission to the Amendment Bill and reflects the lived experience of older South Australians, our longstanding collaboration with SARVRA (the South Australian Retirement Village Residents’ Association), and recent stakeholder discussions.
We offer targeted comments and recommendations, framed by our five key principles we outlined in our previous retirement villages (miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2023 Submission:
- Transparency and Disclosure
- Useability and simplicity
- Consumer protection and support
- Village Relationships
- Innovation to meet future trends and needs