Reporting required under any other act or regulation

Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995

Requirement

Part 2 - Office for Ageing Well

11 - Annual report

1. The Director must, on or before 31 October in each year, report to the Minister on the operations of the Office for Ageing Well during the preceding financial year.
2. The Minister must, within 6 sitting days after receiving a report from the Director, have copies of the report laid before both Houses of Parliament.

Established under the Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995 (the Act), the objectives of Office for Ageing Well include:

• Supporting South Australians of all ages to age well, unencumbered by stigma and discrimination.
• Achieving proper integration of ageing persons within the community thus ensuring that the skills and experience of the ageing are not lost to the community through social alienation.
• Creating social structures in which ageing persons are able to realise their full potential as individuals and as members of the community.
• Creating a social ethos in which ageing persons are accorded the dignity, appreciation and respect that properly belong to them.
• Ensuring that the multicultural nature of the community is reflected in the planning and implementation of programs and services relevant to ageing persons.
• Achieving a proper understanding within the community of the problems affecting ageing persons and other vulnerable adults and ameliorating those problems so far as it is practicable to do so by modification of social structures and attitudes.

To achieve its objectives, Office for Ageing Well led the development of policies and delivered programs, projects, initiatives and services during 2024-25, in partnership with a diverse range of stakeholders and in line with the priorities of the South Australian Government’s ageing well agenda and shaped directly by the voices of older South Australians.

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Legislative Reform

Office for Ageing Well continued to implement recommendations of the independent statutory review of the Act, which was conducted by the South Australian Law Reform Institute.

The Ageing and Adult Safeguarding (Report Recommendations) Amendment Bill 2025 was introduced into Parliament on 4 June 2025 and responds to recommendations of the statutory review that require legislative amendment. The Amendment Bill was informed by extensive community consultation undertaken during the independent statutory review, and by targeted consultation with key stakeholders conducted by Office for Ageing Well during September and October 2024. Supporting regulations will be drafted following the passage of the Amendment Bill.

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State Ageing Well Plan

A Final Impact Review of South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025 has been undertaken and extensive engagement has occurred to develop priorities, actions and potential collaborations for the next state ageing well plan (2026-2036). This work highlighted the importance of: planning early for our later years; strengthening communities; ensuring housing supports ageing well; making it easier to navigate life transitions; and addressing diversity and inclusion.

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Strategic Partnerships and Projects

During 2024-25, the Ageing Well Policy and Engagement Unit directly funded, managed or collaborated on 80 projects in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders from government, non-government and community sectors. The projects focused on the Plan for Ageing Well strategic priorities of: Home and community; Meaningful connections; and Navigating change. Projects included:

• Partnering with SAHMRI’s Wardliparingga Aboriginal Health Equity Unit on a two-year project to engage with Aboriginal communities and stakeholder organisations across the state to co-develop Aboriginal Ageing Well Research Priorities and an Aboriginal Ageing Well Roadmap. Commencing in 2023-24, outcomes have included the establishment of a project Steering Committee, which includes Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, desktop review of relevant literature to determine priority areas, and community engagement to develop an Aboriginal Ageing Well Roadmap to inform the next statewide ageing plan.
• Supporting ageing well and safeguarding the rights of older people who identify as LGBTIQA+ through:
  • Festival for the Future - undertaken in 2023-2025, this two-year project with The Equality Project connected older people and others who identify as LGBTIQA+ living in regional South Australia across generations with services and supports. A two-day event was held in Mount Gambier on 2-3 October 2024, and a second event in Victor Harbor from 30 April to 1 May 2025. More than 200 people engaged in both festivals, with the Mount Gambier festival leading to the establishment of a Rainbow Group in the area. Feedback from participants was very positive.
  • Rainbow Rights - undertaken in 2023-2025, this two-year project with COTA SA aimed to support older people who identify as LGBTI+ to understand and action their rights. The Rainbow Rights Toolkit, including a podcast series, hard copy booklet and online resources, has been rolled out across the state, including at the 2025 Festival for the Future.
• Building on their previous work with the City of Marion, City of Holdfast Bay and the City of Mitcham to develop and deliver a peer-led Advance Care Directives (ACD) training model, the City of Onkaparinga has continued to share their model to support other local councils:
  • In partnership with the Adelaide Hills Council, the City of Onkaparinga developed the 2025 South Australia Local Government Advance Care Directive Digital Resource Pack. Available via the City of Onkaparinga’s ACD webpage, the resource pack highlights the role of local government in driving community awareness and increased uptake of ACDs. The resource pack includes a digital resource kit, YouTube videos, and volunteer training materials including ‘You CAN Ask That’ video series, to improve confidence of peer volunteers in community outreach.
  • The City of Charles Sturt (lead), City of Port Adelaide Enfield and the City of West Torrens have used the City of Onkaparinga’s ACD model to specifically target culturally diverse groups, reaching over 225 people, including 140 culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) participants.
  • The Rural City of Murray Bridge (lead), Mid Murray Council and the Coorong District Council used the ACD model to build and educate peer support networks, with 240 attendees at 12 workshops, including migrant groups and men’s groups. Participants who drove over three hours to attend a workshop subsequently organised a whole day event in their local community hall to ensure others living further away did not miss out.
• Coordinating South Australia’s Week of Ageing Well from 1-7 October 2024, which featured over 70 ageing well activities including concerts, discussions, morning teas, art, health and fitness activities and intergenerational events across Adelaide and regional South Australia. Through shared activities, community members, government and non-government organisations celebrated living and ageing well, fostered stronger connections and challenged stereotypes about older people, ageing and the diversity within this age group.
• Progressing the Mature Workers in the Public Sector Scoping Project (Stage 1), a collaborative partnership between Office for Ageing Well, Office for Women, Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment and the University of South Australia. This project comprised consultation with public sector employees through 12 focus groups with 79 mature age employees (aged 45 plus) across five major agencies.
• Continuing to provide recurrent grants to eight non-government organisations
  to support ageing well and safeguard the rights of older South Australians. In 2024-25, these programs included the:
  • Ageing Well Peak Body Program with COTA SA, to raise awareness about ageing well and safeguarding the rights of older people, and enable older South Australians, particularly from LGBTI+ and regional communities, to be active and engaged in their communities.
  • Safeguards for Ageing Well Program with Aged Rights Advocacy Service, to raise awareness and build community understanding about safeguarding the rights of older South Australians, including a specific focus on older Aboriginal people, Elders and communities.
  • Ageing Well in CALD Communities program in partnership with seven CALD organisations, which delivers education and awareness-raising activities focused on safeguarding the rights of older people from CALD communities.

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Ageing Well Community and Research Grants Program

During 2024-25, Office for Ageing Well provided $750,046 in Ageing Well Community Grants to support community organisations and local government projects. These grants support South Australians to live and age well and promote opportunities for older South Australians to be involved and active in their communities, contributing to the strategic priorities of South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025.

The following grant programs operated concurrently through an open tender process, aimed at community organisations and local government across metropolitan and regional South Australia, and South Australian-based researchers/research teams:

• Grants for Seniors awarded funding to 37 recipients totalling $209,823. Funding supports the purchase of equipment and delivery of cultural, educational and sporting activities and programs for older people.
• Positive Ageing Fellowship Grants awarded funding to five projects totalling $190,423. Funding is focused on capability building projects that support older South Australians to age well. $58,100 was also provided to The Australian Centre for Social Innovation to deliver ongoing coaching, mentoring and support to grant recipients to increase outcome sustainability.
• Age Friendly SA Grants awarded funding to six projects totalling $200,200. Funding is focused on supporting local governments to meet the key priorities of the Age Friendly SA Strategy which are: Home, Community and Environment; Making a Contribution; Making it Easier to Get Around; Intergenerational Connectedness; and Age Friendly Services.

Community grants will run for 12 months with projects commencing on 2 June 2025.

Ageing Well Community Grants funding was provided for:

• the purchase of equipment
• delivery of cultural, educational and sporting activities and programs
• initiatives to tackle ageing stereotypes and support positive perceptions of ageing
• initiatives that support ageing well, participation, learning and independence
• initiatives to kick-start age friendly innovation projects to support opportunities for older people to connect to local places and community activities.

Impact Research Grants for Ageing Well were established in 2023 to encourage researchers to undertake independent research that helps address questions of community and policy importance to ageing well. In 2024-25, grants were awarded to projects relating to the ‘Sense of Community - People’ pillar of the Strategic Research Agenda for Ageing Well in South Australia.

Impact Research Grants for Ageing Well were awarded to three groups of researchers. One major project received $100,000 over 2025-26 and 2026-27 and two seed projects received $49,600 in 2025-26. A total of $50,000 was also provided to The Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation to support grant recipients with knowledge translation.

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Public Awareness Raising Initiatives

Office for Ageing Well continued its statewide public awareness initiatives by promoting South Australia’s Week of Ageing Well from 1 to 7 October 2024, inviting individuals and organisations to hold events to celebrate older people and ageing well.

In March 2025, during Advance Care Planning Week, the Office encouraged people to prepare for the future by completing legal tools such as Advance Care Directives, Enduring Power of Attorney and Wills, and ensuring their personal organ and tissue donation decisions are known and respected.

The annual Elder Abuse Prevention-Tackling Ageism community awareness raising initiative was conducted during June and July 2025, using social and digital media, radio, connected TV and print media to remind South Australians of the impact ageism has on older people’s rights and its link with abuse and mistreatment of older people.

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Community Education and Awareness

During 2024-25, Office for Ageing Well participated in 72 engagement activities, including targeted information sessions, community events, conferences, and Seniors Forums hosted by Federal and state Members of Parliament, reaching more than 3,000 people.

Over 40 sessions were delivered to community groups and service providers, focusing on the Adult Safeguarding Unit’s role and functions. The team also attended 19 Seniors Forums and eight community events, engaging with older people, people living with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, older people who identify as LGBTIQA+, and culturally diverse communities.

Education efforts promoted abuse prevention, rights awareness, and community capacity-building, while providing clear information on how to access support through Office for Ageing Well programs and services.

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Seniors Card program

The Seniors Card Program supports social and economic participation of older people and their connectedness to the community. It contributes to making South Australia an affordable and accessible place to live by providing services, important information, community news, events and access to free public transport. The program also facilitates discounts and benefits from participating businesses. There are around 420,000 registered Seniors Card members in South Australia.

Public transport is a vital service for South Australian seniors, providing a safe, accessible, comfortable and affordable way to travel. South Australian Seniors Card members are entitled to free public transport on Adelaide Metro services all day, every day, and a 50 per cent discount on selected regional public transport services.

Seniors Card members are entitled to business discounts and offers from private sector businesses. In 2024-25, the number of businesses offering discounts and benefits increased by seven per cent to 609.

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Part 3 - Adult Safeguarding Unit

17 - Annual Report

1. The Director must, on or before 31 October in each year, report to the Minister on the operations of the Adult Safeguarding Unit during the preceding financial year.
2. The Minister must, within 6 sitting days after receiving a report under this section, have copies of the report laid before both Houses of Parliament.
3. A report under this section may be combined with the annual report of the Office for Ageing Well under section 11.

Established under the Ageing and Adult Safeguarding Act 1995 (the Act), the key functions of the Adult Safeguarding Unit include:

• Providing confidential information and advice to people concerned about themselves or others who may be vulnerable and experiencing abuse or mistreatment.
• Responding to reports of suspected or actual abuse of adults who may be vulnerable by reason of age, disability, ill health, social isolation, dependence on others or other disadvantage.
• Providing support to safeguard the rights of adults experiencing abuse, tailored to their needs, wishes and circumstances.
• Raising community awareness about the service and strategies to protect vulnerable adults.

The Adult Safeguarding Unit has continued its strong focus on promoting and safeguarding the rights of adults who may be vulnerable and experiencing abuse or mistreatment, by working with the adult and any existing supports to implement safeguarding actions. To manage service demand, which has increased each year since its establishment, the unit operates a two-tiered service model - Intake and Early Resolution and Complex Safeguarding.

In cases identified for early resolution, the unit works collaboratively with adults, service providers and community members to build their capacity to implement safeguarding responses. In cases identified for complex safeguarding, the unit provides a higher level of support to fill gaps in safeguarding the adult and to manage associated risks.

Responding to Reports of Abuse or Mistreatment

Under the Act, the Adult Safeguarding Unit must assess all reports of abuse received and then take one of three prescribed actions. When assessing reports of abuse, the unit obtains as much information as possible to determine if it should:

• refer the matter to a more appropriate agency for response
• investigate the situation further; or
• close the matter for no further action.

Reporting abuse to the unit is voluntary and in most situations, the adult’s consent is required before any further action can be taken.

The Adult Safeguarding Unit has a dedicated phone line for the public to seek confidential information, advice and support, or to receive reports of suspected abuse or mistreatment of adults who may be vulnerable. It can also be contacted via an online contact form.

Of the 3,863 contacts received by the unit in 2024-25:

• 42.8 per cent (1,655 contacts) resulted in a report to the unit.
• 57.2 per cent (2,208 contacts) were treated as enquiries, where tailored safeguarding information and advice was provided to the caller.
• 58 per cent (2,241 contacts) were related to concerns of abuse of adults over 65.
• 26.1 per cent (1,008 contacts) were related to adults living with disability.
• 3.8 per cent (147 contacts) concerned adults with other vulnerabilities.
• 12.1 per cent (467 contacts) provided insufficient information to determine a
  category.

Over half of all contacts to the unit (54.2 per cent) were made by service providers, followed by immediate family members (15.7 per cent). The most reported types of abuse were psychological/emotional (57.6 per cent), financial or exploitation (46.7per cent) and neglect (27.9 per cent).

Adult sons and daughters were most often identified as the person of concern in relation to abuse (30.5 per cent), followed by husband/wife/partner (14.6 per cent) and father/mother/both parents (8.6 per cent). In a number of cases (11.3 per cent) the caller was unable to identify a particular person of concern who was responsible for the abuse.

During 2024-25, the Adult Safeguarding Unit:

• Closed 1,638 reports for no further action following an assessment.
• Closed 101 reports following the completion of an investigation.

Most often, when reports were closed following assessment, the unit determined that the adult’s situation was being appropriately managed/safeguarded by other parties. In other instances, the unit provided the adult or relevant others with advice or support to strengthen safeguarding arrangements and reduce risks to the adult and/or situation, enabling the case to be closed. Other reasons for closure following assessment include the unit not identifying any abuse or the adult denying abuse concerns.

In many cases, due to the comprehensive work of the unit during the assessment phase, progressing the case to investigation was not necessary. Gathering information during assessment is an interactive process, and usually involves detailed discussion with the adult or others to consider their situation. Solutions were identified and safeguarding actions were implemented by either the adult themselves, with support from the unit, or others involved in their lives. To mitigate risk and ensure the best outcomes for the adult, the unit often takes a non-linear approach, commonly undertaking safeguarding actions concurrently during the assessment process.

Where investigations were undertaken, the outcome was for targeted safeguarding actions to be identified and implemented by the unit and others. In 2024-25, examples of safeguarding actions undertaken as a result of an investigation include applying to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) for the appointment of an administrator or guardian, assisting an adult to move to alternative accommodation, co-ordinating a multi-agency response, advocacy, safety planning and increasing an adult’s access to funded support services such as NDIS or My Aged Care.

There are a range of organisations in South Australia offering services, supports and interventions to help stop abuse from occurring and restore people’s right to safety, respect and self-determination. Referrals to such organisations are a critical component of the work undertaken by the Adult Safeguarding Unit to safeguard an adult vulnerable to abuse. In 2024-25, the unit made numerous referrals to a broad range of agencies during and following an assessment of a report. Whilst section 25 of the Act provides that the Director may refer a matter or part of a matter to a state authority or other specified person or body, this provision was not used in 2024-25 as all referrals were able to be made via the receiving organisation’s established referral pathway.

The Adult Safeguarding Unit does not generally take action in respect of a report of abuse unless the adult to whom the report relates consents to action being taken. In 2024-25, there were 33 occasions where the Director approved the unit to take action without consent under section 24 of the Act. In most cases, this was where the person had impaired decision-making capacity in respect of a decision to consent to the unit undertaking safeguarding actions on their behalf.

Community Education and Awareness

In 2024-25, the Adult Safeguarding Unit delivered over 40 education sessions and participated in a variety of community events. These functions and events were attended by a diverse range of stakeholders and community groups, including older people and people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from CALD backgrounds.

The unit’s community education focuses on raising awareness of abuse prevention strategies, building community capacity to respond to abuse and mistreatment, providing information on the unit’s role in safeguarding rights, and providing information on how to contact the unit.

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Disability Inclusion Act 2018

Requirement

Part 6A - Restrictive practices

23ZE - Minister to provide annual report on operation of Part to Parliament

1. The Chief Executive must, not later than 31 October in each year, cause a report on the operation of this Part during the preceding financial year to be prepared and provided to the Minister, setting out -
   1. the number of Authorised Program Officers authorised by the Senior Authorising Practitioner during that financial year; and
   2. the number of authorisations of the use of level 1 or 2 restrictive practices by the Senior Authorising Officer during that financial year (including any authorisations of the further use of such restrictive practices); and
   3. the kinds of restrictive practices authorised to be used by the Senior Authorising Officer during that financial year; and
   4. any other information required by the regulations.
2. The Minister must, within 12 sitting days after receiving a report under this section, lay a copy of the report before both Houses of Parliament.
3. A report under this section may be combined with the annual report of the administrative unit of the Public Service that is responsible for assisting a Minister in the administration of this Act (in which case the Minister need not lay a copy of the report before both Houses of Parliament under subsection (2)).

The Restrictive Practices Authorisation scheme regulates the authorisation of restrictive practices used by registered NDIS providers when delivering supports and services to NDIS participants. Restrictive practices are interventions that have the effect of limiting the rights and freedom of movement of a person who displays behaviours of concern. The primary purpose of the intervention is to protect the person or others from harm.

The department’s Restrictive Practices Unit oversees the scheme, including authorising regulated restrictive practices, promoting the reduction of restrictive practices within the disability sector, and providing education and training relating to the use of restrictive practices. The unit is led by the Senior Authorising Officer whose powers and functions are established under the Disability Inclusion Act 2018.

In the past 12 months the Senior Authorising Officer authorised 4,069 restrictive practices comprising:

• 3,561 authorisations of environmental, chemical and mechanical restrictive practices. These may be Level 1 or Level 2 practices depending on the circumstances.
• 508 authorisations of seclusion and physical restrictive practices, which are categorised as Level 2.

During 2024-25, there were 30 Authorised Program Officers who met the selection criteria outlined in the Disability Inclusion (Restrictive Practices - NDIS) Regulations 2021 and were authorised by the Senior Authorising Officer to undertake the role.

There were 120 Authorised Program Officers as at 30 June 2025.

Gaming Machines Act 1992

Requirement

73BA - Gamblers Rehabilitation Fund

6. The Minister responsible for the administration of the Family and Community Services Act 1972 must, on or before 30 September in each year, prepare a report on the application of the Fund during the preceding financial year and must cause copies of the report to be laid before both Houses of Parliament.

The Gamblers Rehabilitation Fund (GRF) provides funding for services and programs that aim to minimise or address the harm caused by gambling, as outlined in the Minimising Gambling Harm in South Australia Investment Plan 2021-2026. This includes funding for gambling help services across South Australia, services targeting people at greater risk of experiencing gambling harm, as well as online and telephone gambling help services. Administered by Gambling Harm Support SA (GHS SA), the GRF provided over $6 million in funding to gambling help services in South Australia in 2024-25.

In October 2024, GHS SA held its first ever Gambling Harm Action Week (GHAW) with the theme ‘Let’s change the conversation’. GHAW focused on changing the language around gambling and how to start positive conversations about gambling harm with others. This also involved a digital media campaign featuring people with a lived experience of gambling harm that highlighted the way in which certain language affected them and prevented them from seeking help. A modernised and practical language guide for media, professionals and the community was also released, aimed at encouraging more effective conversations about gambling harm.

In February 2025, GHS SA launched a major deliverable in the Minimising Gambling Harm in South Australia Investment Plan 2021-2026 with the mainstream communications campaign ‘Spot the Harm. Stop the Harm.’ The campaign featured on South Australian television screens, radio, social media and land based advertising spaces. The major public health campaign highlighted gambling harm is not just about losing money, it can impact mental health, relationships, work and overall wellbeing.

Other initiatives such as the successful Here for the Game initiative continued with professional South Australian sporting clubs such as the Adelaide Crows, as well as amateur level sporting clubs across the state joining together with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to create safer gambling environments.

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Julia Farr Services (Trusts) Act 2007

Requirement

9 - Annual report

1. The administrative unit of the Public Service that is primarily responsible for assisting a Minister in relation to the provision of disability services in the State must include in its annual report for each financial year a statement that sets out, insofar as is reasonably practicable, the following information, as at 30 March of the financial year to which the report relates, with respect to the persons who are residents of the Fullarton campus on 30 June 2007:

1. the number of persons resident at the Fullarton campus;

2. with respect to the persons resident at a place other than the Fullarton campus, a broad description of the nature of their accommodation;

3. during the preceding period of 12 months -

1. the processes used to plan and implement the relocation of any person to accommodation other than the Fullarton campus;

2. the number of persons who returned to accommodation at the Fullarton campus, and the circumstances of their return.

2. A report under subsection (1) should be prepared in a manner that does not identify a particular person.

As at 30 March 2025, there were no residents living at the Fullarton campus, now known as Highgate Park. The last resident moved from Highgate Park into aged care in April 2020, in line with a commitment to relocate people with disability out of institutions.

During the preceding 12 months no previous residents returned to Highgate Park, which is now closed.

In January 2024, it was publicly announced that Highgate Park had been sold to two national healthcare and retirement providers.

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Retirement Villages Act 2016

Requirement

11 - Annual report

1. The Registrar must, on or before 30 September in every year, forward to the Minister a report on his or her work and operations for the preceding financial year.
2. The Minister must, within 12 sitting days after receiving a report under this section, have copies of the report laid before both Houses of Parliament.

The Retirement Villages Act 2016 (the Act) provides a regulatory framework for the operation of retirement villages in South Australia, which aims to achieve a balance between the rights and responsibilities of residents and operators. It applies to all retirement village schemes operating in South Australia.

Information about registered retirement villages in South Australia is available on Data SA at https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/retirement-villages-register.

Retirement Villages Unit

Office for Ageing Well’s Retirement Villages Unit manages the legislative requirements under the Act and provides information, assistance and education sessions on retirement village matters, including clarifying areas of concern and providing a conciliation service to assist with resolving disputes between residents and operators. The unit investigates and assesses complaints and allegations of breaches of the Act and associated Regulations, with decisions in relation to non-compliance based on the unit’s published Enforcement Framework.

During 2024-25, the activities of the Retirement Villages Unit included:

• Responding to 712 cases relating to retirement village issues.
• Delivering 14 presentations and information sessions to residents and interested groups.
• Conducting three conflict resolution coaching sessions and dispute resolution information sessions with residents’ committees.
• Undertaking two conciliations between residents and operators.

The majority of queries in 2024-25 related to the formation and operation of committees and their rules and procedures. Requests for advice and assistance relating to exit entitlements and fees increased in comparison to previous years, as did queries about terms of contracts. How villages should respond to behavioural concerns remained a consistent theme. There has been a 36 per cent increase in prospective retirement village residents seeking information from the unit.

Size of the Sector

As of 30 June 2025, 513 retirement villages were registered across South Australia, comprising 19,194 residences. It is estimated that the number of people living in retirement villages is approximately 26,871.

Most retirement villages only offer independent living units. A small section of the sector (38 villages) provide serviced apartment accommodation, which caters to residents requiring additional assistance or support such as the provision of meals, cleaning, laundry and extra services.

During 2024-25, one new village was registered and eight villages were voluntarily terminated. Under the Act, it is a requirement for all retirement village schemes to be registered within 28 days of the first resident taking up occupation. Voluntary termination of a retirement village can only occur with Ministerial approval.

The eight villages terminated were:

• One village in Port Augusta with the site of 14 units to be used for rental.
• Two empty villages, one in Glen Osmond and the other in Everard Park, were sold to an aged care provider.
• One village in Payneham with the site of five units to be used for rental.
• One village in Victor Harbor with the site of six units to be used for rental.
• One village in Plympton to be demolished with the land used to extend the adjacent neighbouring village.
• One village of four units in Everard Park to be demolished and developed for another purpose.
• One village in Paradise with the site of 45 serviced apartments sold to an NDIS provider.

Exemptions from operation under the Act

The following exemptions, granted under either the previous Retirement Villages Act 1987 or current Act, are currently active:

• Four under section 18: With client consent, no need to hold premium in Trust (Retirement Villages Act 1987).
• 11 under section 26(1): Ingoing contribution does not have to be held in trust, maximum deposit $10,000 (current Act).
• 45 under sections 22(c), 33(6), 34(8), 39, 40(4): Can have consolidated meetings and financial reports for resident funded and independent living resident groups (current Act).
• 120 under sections 22(c), 33(6), 34(8), 40(4): Can have consolidated meetings, financial reports and interim financial reports (current Act).
• 19 under section 31(3): Operator exempt from assuming responsibility for depreciation (current Act).
• Five under section 57(1): Operator able to rent to persons not eligible under the Act (current Act).

Compliance Activity

The Retirement Villages Unit investigates and assesses complaints and allegations of breaches of the Act and associated Regulations. In line with the published Enforcement Framework, the unit adopts an educational approach in the first instance, working with operators to rectify any breach prior to undertaking more punitive enforcement action. No prosecutions were commenced in 2024-25.

Compliance activity in the past 12 months included responsive advice and assessment of complaints. A random audit of annual meeting documentation was completed in May 2025, while an audit of disclosure documentation from regional areas commenced in June 2025.

Retirement Villages (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2024

On 27 November 2024, the South Australian Parliament passed the Retirement Villages (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2024, following an independent review of the Act. The Amendment Act gives effect to the review recommendations and increases consumer protections for residents and prospective residents of retirement villages. It also mandates greater contract transparency, strengthens standards applying to retirement village operators and village staff, and strengthens the powers and functions of the Registrar.

Supporting regulations are required prior to the commencement of the Amendment Act, with a six-week public consultation undertaken on draft regulations from 31 March to 14 May 2025. The outcomes of this consultation will inform the final regulations.

The Retirement Villages Unit will conduct a public awareness raising campaign to assist residents and operators understand their rights and responsibilities under the new laws. It is anticipated that the new laws will commence in early 2026.

Retirement Village Residents Advocacy Program

Since 2014, Office for Ageing Well has funded the Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) to provide an advocacy service to retirement village residents. The Retirement Village Residents Advocacy Program provides advocacy support, information and advice on people’s rights. During 2024-25, the program had 275 retirement village cases of which:

• 117 (43 per cent) were information cases and 158 (57 per cent) were advocacy cases.
• 219 (80 per cent) were via telephone, 46 (17 per cent) via email and ten (three per cent) via education sessions/events/in-person.
• 55 per cent of calls were from the Adelaide metropolitan area, 15 per cent were from rural and remote locations, while seven per cent remained anonymous or were from interstate enquiring about relatives in South Australia. The remaining 23 per cent of contacts were received via email or referrals.

Communication predominantly occurred directly with the resident 235 (85 per cent) followed by a family member or carer 19 (seven per cent). The balance included public/private representative, other representatives and anonymous.

The Retirement Village Residents Advocacy Program also provided assistance for SACAT matters. This included the provision of information and supporting documentation and attending hearings on ten cases.

In 2024-25, there was a noticeable improvement in the depth of support provided. The average time spent on addressing issues per advocacy case increased to 433 minutes from 349 minutes in 2023-24, reflecting a more thorough and comprehensive approach to supporting clients. The average time spent on information calls increased slightly to 50 minutes, compared to 47 minutes in 2023-24.

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Youth Justice Administration Act 2016

Requirement

9 - Chief Executive’s annual report

1. The Chief Executive must, not later than 30 September in each year, submit to the Minister a report on -

1. the operation of this Act and the work of the Department in relation to the administration of this Act for the financial year ending on the preceding 30 June; and

2. any other matter as the Minister may direct.
2. The Minister must, within 12 sitting days after receipt of a report under this section, cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of Parliament.

In 2024-25, the department’s Youth Justice directorate continued to deliver services in accordance with the requirements under the Youth Justice Administration Act 2016. The directorate remained focused on reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in the youth justice system, ensuring a skilled and stable workforce, upgrading security infrastructure and progressing service improvement projects that promote contemporary practice and strengthen evidence-based service responses.

As the lead South Australian agency for Target 11 of Closing the Gap, to reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10-17 years) in detention by at least 30 per cent by 2031, DHS remains committed to improving service responses for Aboriginal children and young people in the community and in custody.

While the most recent Australian Productivity Commission Closing the Gap data indicates that South Australia is on track to exceed Target 11, addressing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in the youth justice system continues to remain a key focus. To support this work, the department and the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON) established a Youth Justice Working Group, which will focus on the development and review of specific measures, models and services responses for Aboriginal children and young people in contact with the youth justice system.

Recruitment, training and retention strategies within the Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre continued to be a priority, with continued progress towards stabilising the workforce and a significant reduction in the need to use modified routines. Work is also underway to upgrade the electronic security infrastructure at Kurlana Tapa to provide a safe and secure environment for young people and staff. Outcomes during the past year include new contractor sign-in and hostile vehicle mitigation systems, new supporting security infrastructure and server and biometric workstation upgrades. This work will continue during the 2025-26 financial year.

The University of Adelaide completed a review of the Youth Justice case management model, to identify opportunities to strengthen assessment and case planning within Youth Justice. The development of a case management model is underway in accordance with the recommendations from the review. This work will progress in 2025-26 and include piloting new assessment and case management tools that strengthen trauma informed, culturally responsive and therapeutic practice approaches.

The recommendations from the case management model review were also considered in finalising a draft Youth Justice Practice Framework, which will ensure consistent messaging for staff and a common understanding of the purpose and practice principles that underpin Youth Justice services. It is anticipated that the framework will be finalised in late 2025, to allow for further consultation with key stakeholders on the final draft document prior to publication.

Actions in 2024-25 to observe and promote the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Justice Principle contained in the Youth Justice Administration Regulations 2016:

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Reporting required under the Carers Recognition Act 2005

The department is an applicable organisation for the purposes of the Carers Recognition Act 2005 (the Act). Under section 6 of the Act, DHS is required to take all practicable measures to ensure all officers, employees or agents have an awareness and understanding of the principles of the Carers Charter, which promotes consultation with carers or their representatives in policy or program development and strategic or operational planning.

The following summarises actions by the department to support compliance with the Act during 2024-25:

• To strengthen support for carers, DHS funded Carers SA to develop and deliver once-off bespoke training to the department’s Community Connections Program practitioners. Training was delivered across the state with three metropolitan and two regional workshops, in addition to an online session. The first of these sessions was delivered in December 2024, with the project finalised in June 2025.
• To increase their recognition and voice, carers were included as a priority population group for recruitment to the 2025-2027 term of the Disability, LGBTIQA+ and Youth Minister’s Advisory Councils. Carers comprised 34 per cent of all applicants with multiple carers appointed to each Advisory Council. The Terms of Reference of each Advisory Council provides that members can discuss with the secretariat any specific support they require.
• The department launched its new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy
  2025-2027, which includes carers as a focus community and is strategically aligned with the Act and Carers Charter. The strategy includes actions to investigate the feasibility of an Employee Led Network for carers.
• South Australia’s new Youth Action Plan was released, which includes young carers as a priority group. Under Action 27, the plan seeks to diversify participation to ensure young people with different experiences and needs are considered in the development of policies and initiatives, with young carers given specific consideration.
• The content of the department’s Young Carers webpage was updated and refined to include the lived experience perspectives of young carers.
• Staff from the Department for Education were consulted to determine the level of support it provided to young carers and identify any gaps in service provision.
• The department and Carers SA delivered a ‘Spotlight Session’ to school-based staff from the Department for Education in May 2025, to support the identification of young carers in school settings and raise awareness of referral pathways.

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