Friday 16 May 2025
MEDIA RELEASE
Cairns Council’s Towards 2050 ‘own goal’
Amidst public furore about rates changes, Cairns Council is forecasting its over-65 population will make up 20 per cent of the local population by 2050, with retirement villages playing a crucial role in meeting “future needs”.
Council’s draft report, Towards 2050: Shaping Cairns from the Beaches to the Boulders (out for consultation until 24 June), outlines a “growing need for aged care and retirement housing” to cope with ageing demand.
“Many elderly residents live alone, creating a demand for smaller, well-located housing that provides access to essential services and infrastructure, facilitating the option for them to age in place, such as retirement and respite care facilities,” the document says.
“The Cairns region is facing significant population growth, while the demographic profile of the community (and their needs) is changing – including an ageing population and increasing levels of disability.”
Despite highlighting the important role retirement communities play as its population ages, Cairns Council is pushing ahead with a “cruel cash grab” on retirement village residents.
The council is proposing to hike rates for residents, with calculations showing a pensioner living on approximately $1,100 per fortnight will be hit with an increase of up to $75 per month. For one village and its residents, this means an 800 per cent rates increase.
Retirement Living Council Executive Director, Daniel Gannon, said Cairns Council “has kicked an own goal”.
“Cairns Council is selling two contrasting messages – one day they’re highlighting the importance of retirement villages, the next day they’re punishing pensioners because they live in one,” Mr Gannon said.
“Like other parts of the country, Cairns’ population will age drastically over the coming decades, meaning demand for retirement villages and age-appropriate housing will surge.
“If Council pushes ahead with plans to hike rates by up to 800 per cent, it will price older Australians out of the market, leaving them to rely on an already struggling aged care system.
“We’ve spoken to hundreds of residents who will be impacted by this proposal, and the stories are heartbreaking.
“Some residents have told us they will be forced to cancel private cancer treatment, sell their car which leads to a loss of independence, and even resort to eating Vegemite sandwiches for dinner to survive.
“Given the anticipated surge in the number of people over 65 in Cairns, the council should be doing everything in its power to make all age-friendly accommodation as affordable as possible.
“This proposal can only be viewed as one thing – a cruel cash grab hitting some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
“Councils are meant to build community, not destroy it.”
Excerpts from Towards 2050 report
Please see below relevant sections from the report, which have been pasted below verbatim. In summary:
- This report is an appropriate strategic initiative from Council given the significant demographic, housing and healthcare challenges it faces in coming decades.
- Unfortunately, its content is undermined by a proposal to increase council rates by up to 800 per cent for some retirement village residents. This will force some people into homelessness or already struggling aged care facilities.
- There are already operators of retirement villages reconsidering future investment in Cairns given the punitive changes that are under consideration.
- If operators of these communities cancel future supply, then suitable, age-friendly and affordable housing will dry up as Cairns’ population ages.
Page 18:
Changing housing needs
As Cairns’ population grows and changes, the composition of families and households is continuing to shift away from traditional households, necessitating diverse housing options to meet the community’s needs into the future. Matching housing provision with housing needs is critical to support equitable and sustainable communities.
Ageing population
By 2050, individuals over 65 are expected to make up about 20% of the population. Many elderly residents live alone, creating a demand for smaller, well-located housing that provides access to essential services and infrastructure, facilitating the option for them to age in place, such as retirement and respite care facilities.
Rising housing costs
In 2021, approximately one third of Cairns’ low-income households were experiencing housing stress. As housing costs increase, even more people will be put into housing stress, extending beyond just low-income households, with full-time workers struggling to secure permanent housing.
Increased housing choice
A growing population means we need to provide more homes. Not all homes can be delivered in greenfield areas as this can impact our natural environment and farmlands. While greenfield development outside of protected areas will be important to support our community, we need to consider alternative housing options in established neighbourhoods. This presents opportunities for smaller, attached housing products. This ultimately increases housing choice, providing alternative housing options that can support the needs of a diverse community at ranging stages of life.
Page 21:
Economic opportunities and workforce challenges
A total of 106,500 jobs are projected to be needed by 2050 to support the growing population – an increase of around 32,000 jobs from the present. Notably, jobs in the health care and social assistance sector are projected to double by 2050, driven by an ageing population and increasing demand for services.
The health care sector currently contributes approximately $1.31 billion to the local economy, having grown by $391 million (42.7%) over the past five years, representing nearly 68% of the total growth in value added across all industry sectors in Cairns.
Page 24:
What we learned
These various investigations and adopted strategies have provided a comprehensive understanding of critical issues facing the region over the planning horizon to 2050.
Most critically, they make clear: The Cairns region is facing significant population growth, while the demographic profile of the community (and their needs) is changing – including an ageing population and increasing levels of disability, a large and strong First Peoples community, a large proportion of international migrants, relatively high levels of transience, and components of the community including young people, key workers, and some communities demonstrating high social economic disadvantage.
Page 52:
Strategy 2: housing that meets our changing needs
By 2050, Cairns is likely to be home to up to 72,000 more people and require up to 33,000 additional dwellings. An increase in the proportion of smaller households, the ageing of the population, the proportion of renters and affordability pressures mean there will be a growing need for varied housing options and for more rental properties, although the need for detached dwellings will continue to be important.
To meet future needs based on our changing demographic trends, the proportion of other types of housing in Cairns will need to increase substantially by 2050.
There will also be a growing need for aged care and retirement housing, as well as affordable and well-located housing for students and key workers in tourism and health (among other industries). An increasing supply of social housing and emergency housing will also be needed for a growing segment of the community which is under housing stress.
Page 57:
Outcome 3, housing diversity: Improved housing diversity is delivered to meet the needs of a diverse, changing and growing population
Investigate how to improve flexibility in the low density and low medium residential zones for house-scale gentle density such as secondary dwellings, small scale attached housing and smaller lot housing, as well as for retirement, residential care, relocatable home parks and multiple dwellings on large lots (e.g. >3000m²) which can accommodate a compatible building scale. Refer also to the supply strategies above.
Provide adaptive planning provisions that accommodate emerging housing forms (however defined under the mandatory regulated requirements), such as build-to-rent, tiny houses, and co-living, in a form appropriate to the relevant zone and overlays.
Treat residential care and retirement villages consistently, ensuring they are able to be accommodated in all residential, centre and community facility zones.
Page 58:
Outcome 4, Housing affordability and availability: Housing in Cairns is affordable and available to persons and households on low to moderate incomes, including key workers, vulnerable groups, and people with special needs
Facilitate specialist disability housing, social and affordable housing, residential care facilities and retirement accommodation in all residential, centre and relevant mixed use and community facility zones, where appropriate.
ENDS
Media contact: Ben Harvy | 0430 306 424 | [email protected]