LINKS
The links below have been arranged in six groups:-
(1) GOVERNMENT (2) KNOW YOUR RIGHTS (3) SENIORS (4) EDUCATIONAL
(5) CLUBS & GAMES & SPORTS & (6) INTERNET & COMPUTING
Australian Federal Government www.australia.gov.au
From this link you can browse Centrelink, Medicare, Taxation Office, Law & Justice etc.
Queensland Government www.qld.gov.au/government
This link can be used to access the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) under the “Department of Employment”, and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) under the “Department of Justice and Attorney General”. The Acts pertaining to Retirement Villages can also be found under “Legislation”.
For convenience the links are listed below.
(a) Body Corporate & Community Management Act 1997
www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/B/BodyCorpA97.pdf
(b) Body Corporate & Community Management (Standard Module) Regulation 2008
www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/B/BodyCorpStR08.pdf
(c) Retirement Villages Act 1999
www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/R/RetireVillagA99.pdf
Freehold Retirement Villages utilise (a), (b), and (c) while Leasehold and Loan/Licence Retirement Villages are under (c).
Office of Fair Trading (Retirement Villages) www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/retirement-village.htm
This link outlines a great deal of information concerning Retirement Villages.
Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
This QCAT link deals with disputes in Retirement Villages, and is found under “Other Civil Dispute Matters” on the Home Page.
QCAT Home Page outlines the role of QCAT, and the forms to be used at the Tribunals. www.qcat.qld.gov.au
Transcripts of QCAT Cases www.sclqld.org.au/qcat
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission - ACCC www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/142
Click on ‘For consumers’, and then click on ‘Retirement accommodation’ for information about Retirement Villages, and the questions one should ask before signing a contract.
Australian Council of Social Services – ACOSS www.acoss.org.au
This is the peak body in Australia for Community and Social Services. They provide a national voice dealing with poverty and inequality.
Council on the Ageing - COTA (Queensland) www.cotaqld.org.au
This organisation works with seniors to find out their needs, and enhance their lives. COTA helped to support the ARQRV when it was first formed. The quotation from the COTA website shows their aims concisely. “Seniors issues, interests and wellbeing are our concerns.”
Elder Abuse www.eapu.com.au/ElderAbuse.aspx
The definition for Elder Abuse that the Elder Abuse Prevention Unit uses would include the actions of some managers and Scheme Operators in Retirement Villages.
Elder Abuse Queensland www.communities.qld.gov.au/communityservices/act-as-1/elder-abuse
This website is a Queensland Government one for the Seniors Legal and Support Service. A concise outline is given for Elder Abuse under several headings.
Elder Abuse and Queensland Law www.qls.com.au/content/lwp/wcm/resources/file/eb89e1043274b31/elder-abuse_issues-paper%20v6.pdf
This is a paper published in June 2010 called “Elder Abuse: How well does the Law in Queensland Cope? The paper considers the different definitions for Elder Abuse in Australia and other countries, and how the law here and elsewhere handles this abuse. The ARQRV sent in a submission from the viewpoint of residents living in Retirement Villages.
Interview with ARQRV President Les Armstrong and the Villages Website
www.villages.com.au/p107_Retirement-Village-Resident-Interview-Les-Armstrong-at-Living-Choice.html
Besides interviews with residents, and managers this website has a comprehensive listing of Retirement Villages and Aged Care Facilities with contacts, features and maps. The following quotes from the interview make interesting reading, and may encourage you to read the full interview.
• “We residents pay the bills and are part of the industry“.
• “Most problems in villages arise because management allows a problem to build and then do not know how to diffuse it.”
• “…..the role of the ARQRV is consumer protection”.
It’s Your Life www.itsyourlife.com.au
This website has a great deal of information on selecting a Retirement Village or other alternatives. The website is easy to use with lots of information on a wide variety of topics that are relevant for seniors.
Public Trustee of Queensland www.pt.qld.gov.au
They provide help with wills, deceased estates, Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA), trusts, disability and aged care support.
Whistleblowers Australia www.whistleblowers.org.au
“Whistleblowers Australia Inc. is an association for those who have exposed corruption or any form of malpractice, especially if they were then hindered or abused, and for those who are thinking of exposing it or who wish to support those who are doing so.” Many residents who have a dispute in their Retirement Village are treated virtually the same as whistleblowers. The main difference is that whistleblowers have a paying job which they
risk losing.
Sister Site to Whistleblower Aust. www.bmartin.cc/dissent/contacts/au_wba
Through this site one can access their newsletter ‘The Whistle’ which outlines current cases in Australia involving whistleblowers.
About Seniors at Life Choices www.yourlifechoices.com.au
This is an excellent website with a great deal of useful information for Seniors, and links to many other websites including our own.
Seniors Accommodation Website www.SeniorsHousingOnline.com.au
This website enables seniors to locate Retirement Villages and Aged Care Accommodation etc. throughout Australia by area, level of facilities and care, and also by price. The "News and Information" heading provides useful information for residents and prospective residents of Retirement Villages.
Seniors Newspaper www.seniorsnewspaper.com.au
If you can’t obtain a hard copy of this paper you can read it on this website or download the file to your computer.
Volunteering Queensland www.volunteeringqld.org.au/home/
This is the site if you want to become a Golden Guru volunteer. Go to the website and click on ‘Volunteers’ for more information.
Virtual University of the Third Age-U3A www3.griffith.edu.au/03/u3a/
If you like the idea of online studies this website gives you the opportunity to undertake short courses on a variety of topics.
Online Computer Tutorials www.homeandlearn.co.uk
These courses are free, and aimed at beginners. This is useful if you want to learn Word etc.
Australian Bridge Federation www.abf.com.au
Click on ‘States and Clubs’ to find your state, and when you click on the Queensland link a list of the registered Bridge Clubs is shown.
Australian Chess Enterprises www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm
Chess sets, chess books and magazines etc. can be obtained from this online shop.
Bowls Queensland http://www.bowlsqld.org/Home.aspx
Click on ‘Club Finder' to locate a Bowls Club in your area.
Chess Association of Queensland www.caq.org.au
This website lists the Chess Clubs in Queensland, and news about chess tournaments etc.
Clubs of Australia www.clubsofaustralia.com
This online directory of clubs has over 41, 000 clubs with the lists of activities, games and sports arranged over 100 plus categories.
Queensland Billiards & Snooker Association www.qbsa.cloudaccess.net
In the main menu click on ’Clubs’ to find one near your village.
Tennis Queensland www.tennis.com.au/qld/
You can search for a club by using your postcode.
Adobe Reader www.get.adobe.com/reader/
This is the original site for obtaining the free download program for reading PDF files.
Avast Antivirus www.avast.com/en-au/free-antivirus-download
This is an excellent free antivirus program. Never run your computer on the internet without antivirus software.
Foxit Reader www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader
This is a free download program for reading PDF files. This is a smaller and faster program than Adobe Reader.
How Stuff Works www.howstuffworks.com
This is a really interesting website with something for everyone. Don’t be put off by the link name as there are sections dealing with sport, entertainment, cars and gardens etc. etc.
Tucows www.tucows.com/downloads
This is a useful website for software reviews, and downloads many of which are free.
Whirlpool www.whirlpool.net.au
This website is useful for providing a list of Internet Service Providers and Plans.