Industry Issues
Productivity Commission Developer Survey
With support from UDIA, the Productivity Commission are surveying people who work for organisations that facilitate the development of new housing in Australia about their experience obtaining regulatory approvals. Part of the Housing Supply Regulation Inquiry, the survey closes on 30 September.
The survey is designed to inform the Productivity Commission of the pain points experienced by developers throughout the approvals process, and how regulatory requirements affect the cost of delivery of new housing.
Completed surveys will be used by the Productivity Commission to understand the issues and target their recommendations to the reforms that will have the biggest effect on reducing red tape and help accelerate the delivery of more homes.
The Productivity Commission want to hear from people who:
- work for organisations that build or facilitate the building of new dwellings across Australia and
- are involved in, or understand, the process for obtaining regulatory approvals for new housing
If this is not you, please consider sharing this survey with people in your network who may be able to contribute.
Complete the survey: https://s3.surveyresearch.com.au/n/peXHA5v
The survey closes on the 30th of September.
For more information, visit the Housing supply regulation inquiry.
Your feedback needed: Aboriginal engagement in Western Australia
In November, the Engagement Institute will bring people together to explore Aboriginal engagement in Western Australia and how we can strengthen knowledge, skills, capability and confidence in practice.
To help shape the event, the Institute is currently undertaking research to better understand people’s experiences of Aboriginal engagement across projects in Western Australia, including where people feel confident, where the challenges are, and what would help strengthen practice.
Alongside the survey, the Engagement Institute are also having yarns with Traditional Owners, knowledge holders and Aboriginal engagement specialists to hear their perspectives and insights.
All this information will be brought together to shape a meaningful and practical event that responds to feedback. Learnings will also be heard at the event as a starting point for learning, discussion and reflection.
UDIA WA encourages members to help the Engagement Institute shape the event by completing the survey by Friday 25 September and add your perspective to the conversation.
Save the date for the event itself: Thursday 26 November 2026, 9.30 am to 11.30 am, South Perth. Registration will open soon.
City of Busselton: Engineering Technical Specifications – Addendum No. 1
The City of Busselton have reviewed their Engineering Technical Standards and Specifications and are inviting industry feedback on a proposed addendum (Addendum No. 1).
The proposed Addendum introduces several high-level technical and procedural changes aimed at modernising groundwater management and ensuring infrastructure sustainability. The changes are designed to align with the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia (IPWEA) Subdivisional Development Guidelines, IPWEA groundwater separation specifications, and DWER’s Better Urban Water Management framework.
Key changes include:
- Technical terminology and definitions
- Updated groundwater separation requirements
- Subsoil system restrictions
- Verification and mandated infrastructure
- Planning and sustainability requirements
- Industrial/commercial subdivision standards
For more information, view the summary of changes and the draft addendum.
The UDIA WA Infrastructure Committee and Policy team will review the proposed addendum to consider and prepare a submission. Interested/Affected members are invited to reach out to policy@udiawa.com.au by 5.00pm Friday 25 October with any comments and feedback.
Should you wish to make a direct submission, you can do so on the City of Busselton’s website, by 5.00pm Friday 2 October.
Open for Comment: City of Wanneroo Draft Amended Local Planning Policy 4.21 – Coastal Assets
The City of Wanneroo have released the draft amended Local Planning Policy 4.21: Coastal Assets (LPP 4.21) for public comment.
The Policy provides guidance on the type and location of permanent and temporary assets that the City will consider within the foreshore reserve. The changes include the following:
- Clarifying the policy’s application;
- Introducing additional provisions relating to handover requirements for permanent assets and foreshore parklands;
- Updating the developer site maintenance period following the removal of temporary assets;
- Updating requirements in Schedule 2 – Temporary Asset Conditions of Approval and Schedule 3 – Permanent Asset Conditions of Approval;
- Addition of Schedule 4 – Play Equipment Items;
- Minor rewording and reformatting to improve the overall legibility and functionality of the policy.
Please note that the policy would not affect any existing valid development approvals, however any future development applications would be considered against the policy provisions.
For more information, contact Raelee Houden at the City of Wanneroo.
To make a submission, visit the City of Wanneroo’s website.
Submissions close Thursday 1 October 2026.
First Build to Rent Kickstart Fund project announced
The State Government have announced that Spotted Gum Property’s Sutton Apartments development will be the first project supported by the Build to Rent Kickstart Fund.
Delivering 98 new rental homes, with 31 units set aside as affordable rentals, the project will be supported by a $9 million Kickstart Fund loan from the government through Keystart.
“Through the Build to Rent Kickstart Fund, Keystart is helping to unlock more housing supply and making the dream of an affordable home a reality for more Western Australians,” Keystart Chief Executive Officer Mark Tomasz said.
Potentially delivering 850 new homes, Keystart are currently negotiating with seven further proponents under the fund.
Following a strong response from industry, the state government has expanded the Build to Rent Kickstart Fund by $25 million, bringing the total investment to $100 million and have increased the land tax exemption for build to rent developments to 75%.
“Making apartment projects stack up financially, outside of premium locations, has been a significant issue in WA, and that has meant we are not seeing enough affordable apartment supply reach the market,” UDIA WA CEO Ms Steinbeck said. “It is promising to see the State Government looking to further address this important issue, to bolster investment in the Build to Rent sector”.
To be eligible for a loan through the kickstart fund, developments must provide at least 40 new rental dwellings to be offered for at least 10 years, reserving 30% of dwellings as affordable rental housing.
For more information on the Build to Rent Kickstart Fund, visit Keystart.
Western Australia’s domestic economy continues to grow
Marking the seventh year of consecutive growth, the Western Australian domestic economy has grown 3.5% according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Driven by private sector growth of 87%, the economy’s performance is underpinned by strong growth in dwelling investment, business investment and household spending.
Supported by a rise in new homes being delivered in WA, dwelling investments increased 9.2% while building approvals exceeded 26,100 over the year to July.
New Chair of Housing Australia appointed
UDIA WA congratulates Ann Sherry AO on her appointment as Chair of Housing Australia.
Bringing extensive leadership experience across government, business and the community sector, Ms Sherry will guide Housing Australia as it continues to help deliver the Federal Government’s housing agenda – including the 5 per cent Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy and the Housing Australia Future Fund.
National Updates
UDIA National says record-low affordability demands a supply response
UDIA National has called for all housing assistance and affordability policies to be matched by measures that increase the supply of new homes, following the release of the realestate.com.au Housing Affordability Report 2026.
The report finds that a median-income Australian household earning approximately $125,000 can afford just 12% of homes sold, the lowest proportion on record and dramatically below the 43% it could afford five years ago.
For lower-income Australians, home ownership is becoming almost unobtainable.
A household earning $76,000 can afford only 2% of homes, while mortgage repayments on a median-priced home now consume 35.5% of average household income — the highest proportion since 1989.
UDIA National President, Oscar Stanley, said the findings demonstrated that Australia could not solve its affordability crisis by helping more buyers compete for the same limited number of homes.
“These figures should stop us in our tracks. A household earning $125,000 can afford only one in eight homes, while lower-income Australians have been almost completely locked out,” Mr Stanley said.