Retirement Villages

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:11): Supplementary: is it the Treasurer's intention that the select committee would also investigate so-called lifestyle villages?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:11): No, it's not, although we are obviously subject to the will of the parliament. There was a specific issue, and the Hon. Mr Darley and I think a number of other members will be aware that residents of retirement villages had been prosecuting for some time, in particular, the practices of the Valuer-General in terms of the valuation of parts of retirement villages and then the potential impact of that in terms of, in particular, SA Water charges. They have also subsequently raised, potentially, the impact on local government rating charges. So there are a range of specific issues of which the Hon. Mr Darley and some other members have been aware in the period leading up to the election.

I, on behalf of the then Liberal opposition, engaged in a range of discussions in terms of putting potential policy solutions to the residents groups. They weren't entirely convinced by those particular policy options. Their preferred course was to allow them to ventilate the issues before both houses of parliament and before all parties in relation to their concerns about the practices of the Valuer-General, and the potential impacts of those practices on residents in retirement villages.

As I indicated in response to a different question I think yesterday from an honourable member, the Valuer-General is completely independent, and the government of the day has no power to direct the individual valuations in relation to the way the Valuer-General goes about the task.

But, ultimately, the impact of that is something that is of interest to governments. The policy commitment was made, as the member has noted, to try to resolve that within a six-month period. We were unable to do that within that time frame but, as I said, albeit a little bit late, my intention is to bring something to the parliament to commence a process of resolution on the first Tuesday when we come back.