Older Australians remain on waiting lists for suitable retirement accommodation. New data shows that nearly 30,000 of them are being held up in their final move.
The Retirement Living Council has warned that the pipeline of new accommodation for older people is reaching its limits, as the recently released PwC RLC 2025 pension count shows there are currently 26,825 Australians on waiting lists.
Of these, 7,826 are in New South Wales, 1,297 of which are in Greater Sydney and the other 6,529 are in regional New South Wales.
There are 863 on waiting lists in Victoria – 582 from metropolitan Melbourne and the other 281 from regional Victoria.
Of these, 17.8 percent (4775) were in South Australia, with 4036 in the greater Adelaide area and the remaining 739 in regional South Africa.
Almost 2500 (2432) Queenslanders are waiting for a place – 1064 of them in Greater Brisbane and the other 1368 in regional Queensland.
In Western Australia that number rises to 4,464, in Tasmania there are just 135 older Australians on waiting lists, while in the ACT a whopping 6,430 people are waiting to move into a suitable retirement home.
According to the report’s forecast, the number of residents aged 75 and over will increase by 64 percent by 2040 and is expected to exceed 282,000.
It has highlighted the lack of suitable housing and raised concerns that current infrastructure investment will not be enough to house the state’s elderly in the future.
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Daniel Gannon, executive director of the Retirement Living Council
RLC chief executive Daniel Gannon said nearly 27,000 waitlist registrations were eye-opening.
“Older Australians want seniors housing, but the pipeline is hitting a wall,” he said.
“The queue keeps getting longer as too many retirement housing projects disappear into a maze of planning delays, regulations and bureaucracy.
“Australia faces a housing crisis, an aging population, overcrowded hospitals and an aged care system strained to the point of collapse, yet we continue to create hurdles to a solution.
“We’re trying to put the fire out while we turn off the hose.”
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Older Australians find it difficult to find accommodation as they age.
He said every older Australian who moved into a retirement home was freeing up a home for another family.
“It sets off a chain reaction that helps relieve pressure across the housing market, providing residents with connection, security and access to care and support when they need it,” he said.
“But when retirement villages get stuck in the approval process, this chain reaction comes to a halt.”
According to the report, of the 26,825 older Australians on a waiting list nationwide, an average of 15.6 per cent are waiting for a one-bedroom, 54.4 per cent are looking for a two-bedroom home and 29.2 per cent are looking for a property with three or more bedrooms.
It also found that 73 percent of retirement villages offer home support services – 59 percent directly and 14 percent through external providers – a key figure as retirement villages help prevent hospital bed blockages and overcrowding, which is common among aged care patients.
The census – now in its 12th year – paints the most comprehensive picture of Australia’s superannuation sector, using data from 100 operators covering 1,123 retirement villages and around 100,000 retirement housing units.
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PwC Australia valuation partner Meredith Chester said buyers wanted greater choice, a stronger connection to the community, access to care and health services and homes that can support their changing needs over time.
“This is an opportunity for the industry to respond with a combination of new service models, stronger care partnerships, continued investment in existing villages and a wider range of housing and contracting options.”
“The challenge will be to meet the changing needs of residents while balancing affordability, quality of service and long-term sustainability.”
Ian and Jillian Dall at their Retirement Village unit in Ridgehaven. Image Mark Brake
Ian and Jillian Dall, aged 75 and 70 respectively, moved from Athelstone to Ridgehaven Rise in South Australia 15 months ago and said the process took about eight months.
“We really wanted a three-bedroom house with two carports and this was a really good fit for us and we really liked the community here,” Mr Dall said.
“As soon as we moved in, we knew we had made the right decision.
“We really liked having everything on one level, which became increasingly difficult as we got older in our house in Athelstone.”
