Sunshine Coast retirement village rate increases petition, Digi Mart USA News (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia): Hundreds of retirement village residents are pushing for Sunshine Coast Council to reconsider rate increases they say are adding to the pressure on pensioners living on fixed incomes.
A petition signed by more than 400 people calls on the council to avoid further significant rate increases for retirement villages, amid claims that some villages have already faced rises of more than 200 per cent. Petition organizer Christopher Rhodes, president of Hibiscus Chancellor Park, said the increases were being passed on to residents through monthly fees.
“These increases directly impact residents as they are passed on in the form of monthly fees which in some cases will result in increases greater than $21 a month per resident household,” he said. A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said the council’s rating structure is reviewed annually to ensure it remains “fair, equitable and aligned with the principles of the revenue policy.”
The petition argues that residents already contribute toward private roads, drainage, street lighting, gardens and other facilities within their villages, and should not face further significant increases. “A high percentage of our residents rely on the age pension and are living on fixed incomes that have not increased in line with rising inflation,” Mr Rhodes said.
“Many residents are already struggling to meet inflated charges imposed by the council in the past year, let alone these unjustified additional charges that have been introduced without community consultation or prior notification to affected villages.” The petition calls for annual rate increases for retirement villages to be capped in line with the Consumer Price Index and pension increases.
It also seeks government subsidies or incentives for villages committed to affordable living for pension-dependent residents. “Our seniors deserve to live their retirement years with dignity and financial security, not increasing financial stress,” Mr Rhodes said.
A council spokesperson said rating categories for retirement and lifestyle villages had changed to recognize the number of independent living units within each development. “Previously, non-strata retirement villages were rated in the same category as aged care homes, which did not reflect the scale of those developments,” the spokesperson said.
“Aged care homes and nursing homes are not impacted and will continue to be rated in a similar manner to 2025-26.”
The council said the rating changes had been identified through internal reviews and benchmarking with other South-East Queensland councils. “This is critical to the long-term financial sustainability of our region,” the spokesperson said.
The council said it does not currently offer specific concessions, rebates or assistance measures in relation to rate increases for pensioners or retirement village residents. It added that potential support measures may be considered as part of future budget deliberations, and that it had not received a petition relating to the matter.
