SA retirement village training: who has to complete it, and when
South Australia is making codes of conduct training compulsory for retirement village operators and their staff from 5 December 2026, according to the state government. The SA retirement village training is meant to make sure the people running and working in villages understand the code of conduct that applies to them.
The requirement covers operators, village managers, senior managers and anyone employed or engaged to work in the village. Volunteers are excluded, as are contractors whose work is not part of day-to-day operations and involves no direct resident contact, such as a builder or repairer.
An online course, a 12-month window and a refresher every three years
The Office for Ageing Well is developing the SA retirement village training course, which is due to be delivered online from 5 December 2026. New staff must complete it before they start work. Existing staff have 12 months to complete it. After that, operators and staff must repeat the training every three years.
Fines of up to $10,000 for operators who miss it
An operator who fails to ensure that they and their staff complete the training faces a fine of up to $10,000. Operators who breach a mandatory requirement of the code face up to $2,500. The same maximum applies to village managers and senior managers who individually breach a mandatory requirement. The SA Government page does not state a penalty for other staff.
For village managers and senior managers, the mandatory requirements include not knowingly or recklessly putting residents’ safety at serious risk, harassing or intimidating residents, giving false or misleading information, and unreasonably restricting access to shared facilities. Operators can check the SA Government codes of conduct page for the latest SA retirement village training details.
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General information only, not legal advice. Check the official source before acting.
Source: South Australian Government. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
