The Retirement Village Association and Property Council of Australia to merge
The Retirement Village Association and Property Council of Australia have announced their intention to merge.
Property Council of Australia chief operating officer Ken Morrison says the merger will give the industry body political muscle.
"With Australia set to have 5 million people over the age of 65 within 30 years, we need responsive and focused housing options for older people in this country," Morrison said.
The two boards have agreed to create a new leadership group – the Retirement Living Council – as a division of the Property Council to spearhead advocacy for the industry.
It will have represenatives of 20 of Australia’s leading for-profit and not-for-profit retirement industry firms.
"After months of productive discussions, the RVA and Property Council Boards have now unanimously endorsed a model to merge our two organisations, bringing together the breadth and experience of the RVA with the strength of the Property Council’s advocacy and member services around the country," said RVA chief executive Andrew Giles.
Giles said that the next step will be further consultation with RVA members before a formal resolution put to the AGM at the RVA National Conference on November 14.
"This package has been designed to benefit the whole industry - from the small-scale operators to the largest institutions," Giles said.