WA shines on national stage
The Western Australian property industry has been recognised on the national stage with four WA nominees receiving top honours at the 2026 UDIA National Awards for Excellence held in Adelaide on Wednesday night.
The UDIA National Awards for Excellence provide recognition of best practice and the extensive knowledge, skills and innovation within the Australian urban development industry.
Providence Lifestyle Group won in the Senior’s Living Category for their much-loved Piara Waters Lifestyle Village, with several residents travelling from Perth to Adelaide to accept the award alongside the Providence team.
“It is testament to the fantastic community that has been created at Piara Waters Lifestyle Village, that several residents made the trip to celebrate with the project team,” Ms Steinbeck said. “It is truly a vibrant community that residents are very proud of.”
DevelopmentWA was recognised in two award categories, first winning in the Affordable Housing category for their Karda Way at OneOneFive Hamilton Hill project.
The project provides an excellent example for how affordable housing can be delivered using practical construction economies as well as efficient lifestyle and operating costs.
The second award won by DevelopmentWA was in partnership with Peet and Perron Group for Brabham Estate.
Noted by the judges for its sustainable and innovative design elements, Brabham Estate features one of Australia’s most sustainable two-storey homes, a developer backed multi-million dollar Innovation Fund, restored wetlands and a $13,000 sustainability incentive for buyers.
Finally, the team from Zenith Energy were recognised for their leadership in diversity and inclusion, winning the Diversity in Development Award.
The company has established Australia’s first engagement agreement between an Independent Power Producer and a First Nations group for an off-grid project.
UDIA WA is very proud of the fantastic recognition that our members have received in the 2026 National Award for Excellence program and congratulates all the finalists and winners from the night.
Find all the photos from the National Awards Gala event and the UDIA 2026 National Congress held in Adelaide here.
State of the Land launched
UDIA National released the highly anticipated annual State of the Land (SOTL) Report at UDIA National Congress in Adelaide last week.
The SOTL is developed in partnership with Researchfour, Cotality and Charter Keck Cramer, and is the most comprehensive annual assessment of residential development activity across Australia’s major capital cities providing industry, government and the broader community with a clear understanding of housing market dynamics, development pipelines and the economic forces shaping the delivery of new homes.
The insights presented in this year’s report demonstrate the scale of the challenge ahead for governments across Australia which have committed to the ambitious goal of delivering 1.2 million new homes under the National Housing Accord by the end of the decade.
The research shows there is likely to be a total national dwelling shortfall over the next five years of 380,000 homes. That number is equivalent to a deficit of about 76,000 new dwellings per year, which is roughly the size of Greater Cairns – annually.
Further, the SOTL found that Australia’s housing crisis is being intensified by a severe shortage of trading stock, with supply sitting at critically low levels in four of the six SOTL regions.
As outlined in the latest State of the Land Report, forecast for dwelling production for Greater Perth & Peel indicates very significant year-on-year shortfalls against the National Housing Accord dwelling production target over the coming five years to 2030.
In Western Australia, UDIA’s current forecast is predicting a cumulative five-year delivery of approximately 80,000 new homes, which will be around 25,000 dwellings short of the National Housing Accord target rate (which is 21,050 dwellings per annum) for Greater Perth.
While the State of the Land report shows that Perth remains the second most affordable capital city (behind Adelaide), this mantle is unlikely to last as prices are expected to continue to rise into 2026 and beyond due to tight supply.
The report reinforces the ongoing need for all levels of government and private industry to remain focused on the shared goal of delivering more homes to the market as quickly and efficiently as possible.
UDIA WA has been supportive of measures taken to date by the State Government to address housing supply shortages and support industry to deliver the homes we so desperately need. That includes the latest announcement by the Treasurer that the Off the Plan stamp duty concession is being expanded.
However, there is more work to be done to unlock much needed housing supply, and one of the biggest barriers to delivering the housing we need, is the lack of enabling infrastructure.
In our Pre Budget Submission we have made specific recommendations in relation to infrastructure funding, including a $100 million allocation to Water Corporation to ensure adequate CAPEX budgets for capital works, preventing delays and supporting residential land development.
We are also recommending a further $300 million allocation to build on the initial $400m Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund (HEIF) to catalyse residential development in identified growth areas.
For multi residential projects in particular, UDIA has also recommended the expansion of the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) by increasing the per dwelling amount to $20,000 and allowing a broader range of statutory fees and charges on infill development to be recouped under the Fund.
We also suggest the creation of a facility for low interest mezzanine finance loans and underwriting of stock through Keystart to help boost the viability of medium and high density projects.
Download the latest State of the Land report here.
Labour market update
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) released their latest Labour Market Update this week for February 2026, highlighting that the unemployment rate has risen to 4.3% alongside a solid increase in the number of jobs (50,000 job) as part time employment increased significantly.
BCEC predicts that rising energy prices and investor uncertainty associated with the Iran conflict is likely to lead to a slowing economy and job losses in coming months.
Read the full report here.
Outlook tees off for 2026
UDIA WA Outlook started the year with a social event that showcased the award winning facilities at the City of Stirling’s Hamersley Public Golf Course on Thursday 19 March 2026.
The afternoon was an opportunity for guests to practice their driving range skills with Pro Golfer Ben Percival at the state of the art facility that won the 2025 UDIA WA Award for Excellence in the Social and Community Infrastructure category.
The traditional driving range experience was given a shake-up as part of the redevelopment project, with advanced ball-tracking technology, digital simulation gaming options, lounge seating, and food and drink service now available throughout the venue.
Our Outlook guests were able to participate in different mini games to test their skills on some of the world’s most famous courses and concluded the night with some drinks and nibbles in the fantastic new function area.
Prize winners on the day included:
- First Place Longest Drive (Male): Ryan Draver – Plus Studio
- First Place Longest Drive (Female): Claire Henthorn – Cedar Woods Properties
- Second Place Longest Drive (Male): Josh Van Vogelpoel – Colliers
- Second Place Longest Drive (Female): Linda Bromley – UPD
- Coaches Award: Jacqui Hall – Planning Solutions
- Door Prize: Kaidyn Burd – Peet
Congratulations to all the winners and a huge thank you to our Outlook Partners Parcel and UPD for supporting this fun event!
View the photo gallery here.
UDIA WA Committee Update
The second meeting round of the new Committee term kicked off this week with the Education Connection & Excellence Strategic Committee on Monday, Advocacy & Thought Leadership Strategic Committee on Wednesday and the Infill Development & Precincts, Masterplanned Communities and Professional Development on Thursday.
Discussions centred on firming up the focus areas and actions for each committee in response to the guidance around the proactive advocacy and operational priorities provided by the UDIA WA Council. These were also considered in the context of the current acute impacts on our industry and housing delivery from the rising fuel pricing and supply chain challenges, and what could be done as a crisis response in working collaboratively with government.
EOY Open – South Yanchep
DevelopmentWA is inviting Expressions of Interest from experienced developers for South Yanchep, a major coastal land development opportunity spanning approximately 120 hectares across two adjoining parcels.
Located just south of the Yanchep townsite, South Yanchep offers the chance to help shape a modern, connected coastal community that responds to its natural setting and growing demand for housing in Perth’s north.
The vision is a well designed, master planned community with strong connections, activated spaces and easy access to public transport, including the METRONET Yanchep and Eglinton stations. The site also benefits from around 1.2km of ocean frontage and proximity to surrounding Bush Forever areas.
More information here.