Retirement villages and land lease communities front and centre for political leaders seeking the seniors vote

It’s the Federal Election on Saturday, so don’t forget to vote. A lot of you may have done so already.

It was interesting to see that the votes of residents and staff at retirement villages and land lease communities are being courted by both major parties.

Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has visited at least three retirement living communities:

• Lifestyle Communities’ Mount Duneed community in the marginal seat of Corangamite in Victoria, which is held by Labor by just 1.1%. Mr Morrison announced he would raise the income threshold for the Commonwealth Seniors’ Health Card;
  
• Lifestyle SA’s The Parks Lifestyle Village (pictured) in the marginal seat of Boothby, in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, which is held by the Liberal Party with a margin of 1.4%; and
  
• Living Gems Retirement Village in South Caboolture in the marginal seat of Longman, Queensland, which has swung five times between the LNP and Labor since it was created in 1996. It is held by LNP’s Terry Young by 3.3%.

Labor Party Leader Anthony Albanese has visited at least two retirement villages.

• Symons House retirement village in Nowra, NSW South Coast, just hours before he tested positive to COVID-19. The seat of Gilmour is held by ALP’s Fiona Phillips; and
  
• Bolton Clarke Fairways Retirement Living and Residential Aged Care in Bundaberg, QLD, a seat held by Resources Minister Keith Pitt by a margin of 14.2%.

The Liberal Party made a pitch to pensioners, self-funded retirees and working older Australians at its election platform launch in Brisbane on Sunday by offering a new financial incentive to sell the family home earlier.

Labor promised to match the Libs in what Mr Albanese described as a “modest” policy.  

Watch this space on Saturday!