An Important Message
A Significant Change to WARVRA Membership (as from 16th March 2021)

Until 26th February 2021, membership of WARVRA was understood as follows:

  • Villages paid an annual membership of $2.00 per occupied unit.
  • All residents in ‘paid up’ villages were deemed to be WARVRA members.
  • Individual memberships were offered.

Changes

As an Incorporated Association WARVRA must comply with the Associations Act 2015.
In 2019 WARVRA was advised by Consumer Protection that deeming village residents as
members was not permitted under the Act.
The General Meeting on 26th February 2021 agreed to amend the Constitution with
the following changes to the membership of WARVRA applying as follows:

  • Villages pay an annual SUBSCRIPTION (formerly called membership) to WARVRA of $2.00 per occupied unit.
  • Residents of “paid up” villages are no longer deemed to be members of WARVRA.
  • To hold membership with WARVRA, residents in each village must individually complete an ‘APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP’ form. This form is to be submitted to the WARVRA Secretary who is required to maintain a Register of members. No additional payment is required.
  • The Secretary is required to update the Register when a change to membership detail occurs. This will rely on the member, or the WARVRA representative, advising the Secretary.
  • ‘Application for Membership’ forms are on the WARVRA website for downloading -> Visit the Forms Page

There are no changes to Individual membership arrangements.

Please BULK MAIL Applications for Membership forms to the WARVRA Secretary and advise the village WARVRA representative or Secretary for on-going communications.

The Letter from your President with further details on the change, and other news!

Dear Residents and Members,

My purpose in writing to you is to provide you with an up-date on changes to the WARVRA membership, the Aged Care Royal Commission and the progress of the legislative review into retirement villages in Western Australia.

Membership

It is important that you are aware that residents of villages which have paid their annual subscription of $2 per unit, can become WARVRA members by completing the membership form available from the WARVRA web site and sending it to WARVRA Secretary, Maureen Miller, for processing -> Visit the Forms Page
Members will receive all notices of meetings direct to their email address and will be eligible to vote at meetings of the association.

Paying your village subscription at this time means that members will remain financial members until 30 June 2022, due to the changing of the WARVRA financial year from June to July each year.
I urge you to support WARVRA, and the valuable work the association carries out on behalf of residents, by completing a membership form and having your name placed on the WARVRA membership list.

Royal Commission into Aged Care

Vice President, Eugene Brown, and I attended the Leaders Summit on Aged Care on 18/19 March. The Summit was held in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with speakers from each centre. The speakers addressed some of the recommendations made by the Commissioners and highlighted the following points:

  • Everyone deserves respect, care and dignity
  • There will be one point of entry which will follow you through to home care and the care component of residential care
  • Your care manager will follow you through to the end of life
  • Those who deliver the services will need to be better trained and better paid, equal to hospital paid employees
  • Services will be free but accommodation will be at the patient’s expense, either paid privately or 85% of pension in the case of Age Pensioners
  • Much greater funding will be required to operate the system and the Federal Government’s commitment will be revealed in the 2021 May Budget
  • The RAD (lump sum payment) will be phased out by 2025 in favour of a daily fee.

WARVRA will be watching carefully this in change agenda as it will impact on the lives of many residents in villages.

Legislative Consultation Process

The L&A Committee has almost completed the response to CRIS-3, which should be delivered to Consumer Protection by mid-April. CRIS-4 which deals with moving parts of the Code into the regulations so as to make operators more accountable. It will also deal with penalties for non-compliance.
A task for the L&A Committee will be to identify any matter identified by WARVRA but not addressed by the legislation to be brought to the attention of Consumer Protection.
A new Minister for Commerce, who oversees the RV legislation, Amber-Jade Sanderson MLA, Member for Morley, has been appointed. We will seek a meeting with the Minister and invite her to address a General Meeting in the not too distant future.

Finally, I would like to remind you that this is your opportunity to write to your local member advising the member of your concern which could include:

  • Exit Entitlements (Operators to have a specified time to pay)
  • Enforceable Code of Conduct (Move Code into the Regulations where they are enforceable)
  • Improved and Timely Action by the Commissioner for Consumer Protection
  • Training of Village Managers (to respond and answer residents’ concerns)
  • Contracts (to be written in plain English)
  • Clarify Responsibility for Capital Maintenance and Upgrade /Replacement
  • Refurbishment of Residential Units on Departure from Village (Clear limits as to resident responsibility)

This is your opportunity to assist WARVRA (and yourself) by asking your local parliamentary representative to support changes to the legislation which is 19 years overdue. Your support will be appreciated.

Ron Chamberlain
President WARVRA