Industry issues 09-6-22

From the CEO

On the eve of UDIA WA’s Industry Lunch with the Minister for Housing and the impending release of our new report directly targeted at ensuring we have a development ready pipeline, it is great to see some of our valued members delivering a consistent message to the AFR’s Editors Summit in today’s coverage ‘Fix housing supply fast’.

The Australian heads of Lendlease, Stockland and Mirvac have rightly nailed some of the headwinds we are facing across the country in ensuring we have a pipeline of land and housing ready to deliver. The issue is top of the agenda both for UDIA at a National and at a State level. Interestingly, as CEO of Stockland Tarun Gupta notes in this article – Metro Rail will be a game changer for cities not just here in Australia but globally IF they are developed right. The ‘urban 20 minute mini-cities” if designed with the right mix of density and uses will play a major part of the evolution of our cities.

This will be music to our State Government ears around the delivery of METRONET – which, if designed and developed collaboratively with industry could have Perth punching above its weight on the global liveability stage. As we indeed already do.

So stay tuned and check your Inbox tomorrow afternoon for the latest UDIA WA report to ensure our pipeline remains full and free of the many potential blockages that hamper our ability to deliver the homes of tomorrow.

Three weeks left to nominate your project

There are just three weeks left to nominate your project into the 2022 UDIA WA Awards for Excellence.

Our prestigious awards program is widely regarded as the pinnacle for the urban development industry in terms of achievement in community creation, innovation and sustainability.

The award winners and finalists represent the very best urban development projects delivered within Western Australia, and are reflective of the growth of best practices and industry as a whole.

Winners from the respective state awards are put forward to represent WA at the 2023 National Awards for Excellence, which next year will be held in Perth.

For more information about how to ensure your project gets the recognition it deserves, click here and to start your entry, click here.

UDIA in Action

The Policy Team kicked off the week with the second Regulation and Taxation Standing Advisory Group meeting. UDIA National’s Andrew Mihno joined as guest speaker, sharing some valuable insight into the work National was undertaking on a Federal level, with a focus on affordable housing and the relative tax and regulatory implications.

The Infrastructure Standing Advisory Group (SAG) met with continuing focus on COVID-related industry issues particularly with regards to skills and material shortages. The Built Form SAG also met this week which saw this theme carry through, as well as the need for skilled migration.

Closing off this week was the Urban Water SAG which saw presentations from Urbaqua on the Water Sensitive Transitions Network, DWER and Water Corp. as a means to share knowledge around the table.

Home in WA starts again

Yesterday UDIA WA were delighted to start filming for the upcoming season of Home in WA, which UDIA WA is major partner of once again.

The filming yesterday took us to Fremantle where we looked at the heart of Fremantle’s transformation Walyalup Koort and the new cultural hub FOMO.

Following the filming session in Fremantle we headed up the coast to Cottesloe where we looked at the proposed development plans for the Indiana site in Cottesloe by Fiveight, which reflect the broader need to evolve and meet the community’s needs while maintaining a connection to the history of the area.

These episodes will be published in the coming weeks and we will provide details when they are available.

If you would like to showcase your project through WA’s only dedicated home ideas TV program, broadcast state-wide on Channel 7, reach out to Executive Producer Ron for more information. He can be contacted by phone 0417 279 103 or email dingoistalent@bigpond.com.

RBA raises rates again

At the June Monetary Policy Meeting on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) elected to raise the cash rate target by 50 basis points to sit at 0.85%.

In announcing the decision RBA Governor Philip Lowe noted that inflation in Australia has increased significantly and while it is lower than some other economies around the world it is higher than earlier expected.

“Inflation is expected to increase further, but then decline back towards the 2–3% range next year,” he said. “Higher prices for electricity and gas and recent increases in petrol prices mean that, in the near term, inflation is likely to be higher than was expected a month ago.

“As the global supply-side problems are resolved and commodity prices stabilise, even if at a high level, inflation is expected to moderate. Today’s increase in interest rates will assist with the return of inflation to target over time.”

For more information and to read Dr Lowe’s statement in full, click here.

Team UDIA for Vinnies CEO Sleepout

UDIA WA is proud to announce we have a team of volunteers for this year’s Vinnies Australia CEO Sleepout!

The UDIA WA team includes UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck, CLE Town Planning + Design Managing Director Jane Bennett, Parcel Property General Manager Land Jeremy Cordina, Celsius Land Managing Director, Brenton Downing, Celsius Property Group Managing Director Richard Pappas and Construction Training Fund CEO Tiffany Allen.

If you would like to support the team and donate to this year’s CEO Sleepout, head here for more information.

New edition of The Urbanist released tomorrow

The latest edition of UDIA WA’s The Urbanist magazine will be officially launched tomorrow during our Industry Luncheon with Minister Carey.

The new edition is focusing on Community Engagement, wherein we take a deep-dive into the fantastic work the development industry does in this space and provide new ideas and innovative case studies to challenge and inspire readers.

This edition features articles looking at the development industry’s engagement with Traditional Owners of the land in which we work, looking at how the right community engagement strategy can lead to effective infill outcomes as well as a look ahead to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane 2032 and the impact this will have on development in Queensland and across the country.

We feature the expert voices from around the world in addition to some key local inputs from the following:

• Kado Muir, National Native Title Council Chair
• Queensland Premier Anastasia Palazczuk
• Former Mayor of Subiaco Penny Taylor
• Paul Blackburne, Executive Chairman of Blackburne
• Natalie Busch, Perth Managing Principal of Hassell
• Felicia Brady, Founder of FTB Consult
• Jimmy Murphy, Co-Founder of Town Teams
• And Many more

This edition also features an insight into the importance of mental health awareness with an interview with Kendall Whyte, Founder of the Blue Tree Project.

Our thanks also go to the Hon. Rita Saffioti and Kate Oosterhof for providing opinion pieces for this edition.

To read previous versions of our magazine, click here and keep an eye on your inbox or pick one up from the lunch tomorrow for the latest edition.

WA’s standalone power systems reach national milestone

Western Australia is leading the nation in the use of standalone power systems with 100 now deployed across the State’s main electricity grid, the South West Interconnected System.

This innovative green solution provides improved power reliability and quality for regional and remote customers and is a safer alternative to traditional poles and wires.

Standalone power systems (SPS) are particularly beneficial for regional customers, where supply costs are high and power reliability is impacted by distance, terrain and severe weather events.

The units are powered by solar panels and battery storage, and include back-up diesel generation, which deliver cleaner and more reliable power.

SPS are now located in numerous locations throughout the Mid-West, Wheatbelt and Great Southern, with the latest installed following the Shackleton bushfire early this year.

A recent Western Power customer research report found high levels of satisfaction with SPS.

Participating customers rated their overall satisfaction at 8.2 out of 10 (10 being ‘excellent’), while their satisfaction with poles and wires connection, pre-SPS, was lower at 6.7 out of 10.

For more information on SPS technology, visit here.

Join WA’s thought leaders

There are just a couple of weeks left to join WA’s thought leaders at our innovative One-Day Summit that will is set to inspire and engage conversation around how we can develop Western Australia as THE place to live, work, play and invest.

This carefully curated one day summit will explore the new projects and precincts that are shaping our city and State as a place of choice to live, work, play and invest and is an excellent opportunity for delegates to delve into the detail and learn how some of our most iconic destinations are being reimagined for the future.

Thought leaders already confirmed to speak include:

• Andrew Hagger, CEO of Tattarang & Minderoo Foundation
• Anneke Brown, Tourism and Hospitality Consultant for Smiths Beach Project
• Anthony Vuleta, CEO of Town of Victoria Park
• Professor Coleen Hayward AM, Edith Cowan University
• Dale Page, General Manager, Planning & Economic Development City of Perth
• David Caddy, Chair of WAPC
• Gavin Hawkins, Managing Director of Edge Visionary Living
• Jason Miragliotta, Managing Director of Urbaniche
• John McGrath, President of Burswood Park Board
• Lonnie Bossi, Former Chief Executive Officer of Crown Perth
• Matt Ryan, Executive General Manager Planning and Transition at DevelopmentWA
• Mike Hulme, Director at Sustainable Settlements P/L
• Paul Needham, Director – Planning and Development Services at City of Busselton
• Peter Lee, Principal at Hassell
• Renata Lowe, A/Executive Director for Destination Development at Tourism WA
• Simone Spencer, Deputy Director General, Strategy and International Engagement at Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation

With more speakers to be confirmed in the coming days, the summit is primed to deliver an informative, engaging and thought-provoking path forward for the development of Western Australia.

To join the conversation with these thought leaders, click here.

Our thanks go to Industry Partner DevelopmentWA for supporting this event. Further sponsorship opportunities are available, contact Kelly Dewar-Matusik for more information.

Last chance to book for PD Course

Registrations for the upcoming Fundamental of Community and Economic Development Course close on Monday.

This new Professional Development Course is the ideal opportunity to enhance your skills and provide a greater contribution to our growing communities.

The course has been tailored specifically to the WA Development Industry and is taught by local experts, covering topics such as working with local government to facilitate community development, stakeholder and community engagement processes, creating a community-led action plan, aboriginal employment, procurement and engagement, and the relationship between local government, planners, developers, and the community.

For more information and to register, click here.

Standard Infrastructure Contributions 2022/23

The Water Corporations Standard Infrastructure Contributions will change from 1 July 2022 as shown below:

The Special Developer Infrastructure Contributions will change from 1 July 2022 as shown below:

Community Engagement Survey

UDIA WA are seeking feedback from members through a new Community Engagement and Education survey that is being undertaken by our Community Engagement and Education Standing Advisory Group.  The results of the survey will guide the development and implementation of a new UDIA WA Community Engagement and Education Strategy that will aim to assist members in this space.

Click here to complete the survey, which will take less than 5 minutes to complete.

Join UDIA WA’s RAP Working Group – call for EOI

UDIA WA recently established a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group to assist the Institute in providing leadership to the broader urban development industry in respect to reconciliation and more meaningful engagement with the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we and our members operate.  The Group will soon commence a series of engagement meetings and consultation with relevant stakeholders so that we can listen and learn in order to develop our first ‘Reflect’ RAP in partnership with members of the Aboriginal community.

Currently our RAP Working Group is made up of two members from UDIA WA Council, two UDIA WA staff members and two members from the UDIA WA Diversity Committee.   We are now seeking two further members from the broader UDIA WA membership.  If you have background, experience and/or expertise relevant to the development of a RAP, we would love to hear from you.  Please send expressions of interest to join the working group to Gemma Osiejak: gosiejak@udiawa.com.au . Please include a brief overview of your relevant experience to date.  We aim to appoint two new members prior to the next working group meeting on Thursday 21 July.  Contact Gemma with any queries related to the working group.