From the CEO
Effectively dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty will be a core skill we will all be exercising in 2022. The light at the end of the border tunnel was snuffed out late last week after the majority of businesses and people in Perth did what was required to prepare for Feb 5, only to be told it still wasn’t enough at the last minute. To add further nervousness, we have no idea when Fortress WA will actually open.
Exacerbating an already dire situation in terms of labour and supply constraints, the impacts of this decision will continue to be felt for some time. At a time when we need to be doing all we can to attract people to WA, we’ve nailed a ‘Turn Around – Wrong Way’ sign to the entry.
As UDIA WA prepares to meet with the Residential Land and Housing Supply Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC for short..) next week, we are wanting to hear from you on how you expect this decision to impact your business, the market and our industry. Can I ask that you take 5 minutes of your day today or tomorrow to fill out this brief survey.
UDIA WA, like many businesses are doing everything we can to protect our team from the health risks associated with COVID-19. As an important part of a range of control measures for our organisation, from 31 January all staff and visitors to the UDIA WA Workplace in Subiaco will be required to show proof of vaccination to obtain entry. The details of the policy are here, which has the full support of Council and staff.
2022 is going to test many of us. Our Council and our team stand ready to support all of our members as we weather the storm together.
Updated requirements for entering UDIA WA office
As Perth, Peel and beyond begin to experience an increase in Omicron cases due to community transmission, it is more critical than ever to ensure that UDIA WA takes all the necessary steps to minimise the risk of COVID-19 exposure in the workplace.
The WA State Government has mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for many Western Australian workplaces. Further to consultation and endorsement from UDIA WA Staff and Council, UDIA WA has implemented a new COVID-19 Vaccine Policy that requires all workers and visitors to be fully vaccinated prior to entering the workplace premises in Subiaco. This means that all personnel conducting work at the UDIA WA workplace must have received two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
From 31 January 2022, all visitors to the UDIA WA workplace (Level 1, 3 Wexford Street, Subiaco) will be required to allow a staff member from UDIA to sight their vaccination status or proof of exemption. Anyone who doesn’t show evidence when requested will be denied entry.
In line with Western Australian government health directions, our event venues could also start to introduce mandatory entry requirements.
Crown Perth have stated that as of 31 January 2022 all visitors (aged 18 years and over) to the Casino and Pearl Room and visitors (aged 16 years and over) to all other venues including hotels, Crown Spa and events and conferencing facilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Crown Perth will request official proof of vaccination or medical contraindication certificate for guests wishing to gain access to these venues. Entry will be denied if official proof of vaccination or a medical contraindication certificate cannot be presented.
Please ensure you keep an eye on our event pages for any venue entry mandates and proof of vaccination requirements.
Please note that in line with the State Government policy, the requirement to manage the COVID-19 vaccinations for your organisation’s personnel solely resides with your organisation.
Further information from the State Government can be accessed via the following link here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at udia@udiawa.com.au.
COVID-19 Pulse Check Survey
Please take just five minutes of your time to complete the third round of our COVID-19 Industry Pulse Check Survey, here.
UDIA WA is continuing to ensure we have a clear understanding of the evolving impact of COVID-19 on our member organisations. In order to advance our advocacy to government concerning the challenges facing the sector, having a more detailed understanding of current impacts within the development industry and the potential for further impacts will be critical.
The results of this follow up survey will assist us in adapting our ongoing guidance and support to members for the duration of the pandemic. It will also inform our advocacy work on behalf of members in relation to government support and communicating the real and developing impacts to the urban development industry.
Whilst we believe it is important to share the results of this survey, to help all members make fully informed decisions, all the information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and no individual will be identified in reporting of results.
Thank you for your time, we greatly value your feedback.
Please complete the survey by COB Friday 28 January. Any questions or concerns, contact Director Policy and Research Chris Green on cgreen@udiawa.com.au
Click here to complete the COVID-19 Industry Pulse Check Survey.
2022-2023 Committee cycle commences
The first round of UDIA committee meetings were held this week with the Industry Workforce and Land Use Planning Advisory Groups meeting to discuss their priorities for the year ahead.
A wide range of industry issues were discussed ranging from the current and emerging workforce and housing supply challenges through to longer-term workforce attraction strategies and planning reforms.
UDIA welcomes all new committee and advisory group members and looks forward to working with our members as we prepare our 2022 Policy Priorities framework.
UDIA reveals latest economic data
UDIA WA released the December 2021 Urban Intelligence report to members at the end of last week providing a comprehensive run down on all the latest economic, development and building data relevant to our industry.
The feature article this month focuses on the impacts the delayed border re-opening could have on the property development industry and what this could mean for the future of the housing market.
Members can read more here.
Built Form Course – Early Bird rates
Early Bird rates are available for the UDIA WA 2-day Built Form course, led by Danielle Davison that teaches the practical elements of residential built form development on 24 and 25 March 2022.
This two-day course takes attendees through the full process of built form development from site identification, feasibility analysis and assumptions, product design, and demographic analysis, to the delivery, titling, contracting, sales and marketing.
It is an ideal course for anyone interested in the built form environment and looking to upskill and grow their knowledge base as well as anyone looking to benefit from an up-to-date refresher on all elements associated with residential built form practices and processes.
This masterclass is tailored to the local development industry and attendance to this course attracts 7 REBA CPD points if applicable.
The early bird discount ends on 18 Feb and click here to register and for more information.
Get noticed by decision makers
UDIA are in full swing producing the next edition of our thought-leadership publication The Urbanist which will focus on the theme ‘Invest West’, highlighting the many incredible aspects that make WA the best place to live, work and invest.
This new edition will be launched at our State Conference and will feature insights from Tattarang CEO Andrew Hagger, WA Premier Mark McGowan, WA Chief Scientist Peter Klinken, newly appointed Agent General John Langoulant, Minister for Regional Development the Hon Alannah MacTiernan, among a variety of industry experts from around Australia and the world.
UDIA are also in the process of producing a special edition EnviroDevelopment magazine that will showcase many of the projects certified to date along with the numerous advantages of getting a project certified under the EnviroDevelopment scheme.
For more information on either project or to enquire about how to get involved, contact cthurmott@udiawa.com.au to discuss the current opportunities available.
To read the recently released Transport edition of The Urbanist, click here.
Social and Community Housing Updates
This week Minister for Housing; Lands; Homelessness; Local Government the Hon. John Carey MLA announced a range of updates that impact social and community housing across Western Australia.
The first was the start of one of Western Australia’s biggest building assessment programs with thousands of social housing properties to undergo review.
The $12.8 million Building Condition Assessment program will assess around 10,000 of the State’s oldest social housing properties to help identify property maintenance requirements.
The information gathered during the assessment program will help forecast future required works to keep housing stock viable and in the system.
The program will begin with an initial 240 properties in metropolitan Perth, with a further 4,000 properties expected to reviewed by the middle of 2023. The entire program will be rolled out over the coming four years.
The second announcement was regarding the allocation of $57,531,017 in grant funding for 47 community housing providers to undertake 805 refurbishment projects of dwellings across Western Australia.
The grants will enable improvements to social housing across 11 metropolitan and regional areas, particularly for those most at risk of being unable to secure suitable housing.
These include people with disability, young people who experience homelessness, seniors, and women and children escaping domestic violence.
In total, there were 54 projects (with a total of $5.27 million of funding approved) which were for dwellings exclusively servicing Aboriginal people and a further 312 projects (with a total of $21.47 million of funding approved) for tenancy cohorts which include Aboriginal people.
The refurbishment grants will be used to upgrade existing homes and extend their useful life. All refurbishment projects need to be completed by December 2024.
Access to UDIA WA website changed
Access to the UDIA WA website recently changed as part of our aim to provide exceptional member services.
UDIA WA has invested in new technology that will integrate our member database with our website and online event registration capabilities with our new UDIA WA online Community Portal providing our members with seamless, integrated services and up to date information at the click of a button.
As part of the change all login details for the website were removed and each member organisation’s Key Representative was granted access initially and the Key Representative can now provide access to a further 2 representatives for their organisation.
All the necessary information was emailed to Key Representatives last week and can be accessed here for more information.
Once active the UDIA WA Community Portal includes exclusive member only access to:
- Urban Express weekly news
- The Urbanist quarterly magazine
- The Urban Development Index quarterly market update
- The Urban Intelligence economic data report
- UDIA WA Members Directory listing details of all UDIA WA members
- UDIA WA Diversity Toolkit
- Relevant governance documents including the UDIA WA Annual Reports and Constitution
- Ability to update you and your organisations details
For more information or any queries, email membership@udiawa.com.au