From the CEO
There are only 72 days until Christmas. As our calendars are filling up with end of year celebrations already, there is an increasing sense of urgency in the air to get as much done as possible before the silly season starts to kick in. There is also a sense of fatigue after what has been a highly volatile and stressful year for many of us in the industry.
This week is Mental Health Week. As many of you know, this cause is very close to my heart and I’ve recently joined the Board of the Western Australian Association for Mental Health to volunteer my efforts to improve the system that so many of us will rely on at some point in our lives either for ourselves or a loved one.
So my question to you today is – how are you, really? For all the advocacy, research, events and other activities we undertake here at UDIA on behalf of our valued members, it is the relationships, friendships and collegiate culture of our industry that I treasure most. I know that many of you are understaffed, as we are here too at the moment. Many people are experiencing high levels of sustained stress which has a serious impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.
My message to you today is to please take the time to take care of you. Unplug even if for a few hours. Stop and smell the roses. Reach out if you need help – there are many options here if you do. As an industry we have and will continue to face many challenges, yet we are stronger when we face them together and when we are feeling like our best selves. Here at UDIA, our door is always open. I am a phone call away. Arianna Huffington says “If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world”. So take care of yours.
UDIA delivers an action plan for jobs, homes and the economy
With the trend in key metrics showing the housing industry is heading into decline, UDIA Natinonal’s update to our 2022 national policy strategy, Resilience| Recovery| Reform, (Link to report) was released today and incorporates Federal Election outcomes and recent housing market changes, presents a suite of practical initiatives that can be used to continue Australia’s remarkable economic recovery whilst simultaneously tackling the ever-growing challenging issue of housing supply and affordability.
“Now more than ever, we need real solutions to maintain a strong economy, deliver new housing and underpin vital construction jobs. Our recommendations to boost supply and productivity can ensure there is a home for all Australians across the housing spectrum,” said Maxwell Shifman, UDIA National President.
“Streamlining administration, removing excessive planning delays and freeing up enabling infrastructure to deliver development ready land are relatively simple and inexpensive. The economic benefits of such measures outweigh any extra investment by orders of magnitude,” said Maxwell Shifman.
To underpin Australia’s recovery UDIA calls on Australian political leadership to adopt the six UDIA policy strategies:
- A Home for Everyone – Deliver incentives for greater housing supply, development-ready land, choice and affordability across the spectrum.
- Population for Prosperity – Accelerate immigration, fast track closing the pandemic skills gap and plan growth.
- Infrastructure for More Liveable Communities – Overhaul planning, funding and delivery of enabling infrastructure linked to better outcomes that grow cities and housing supply.
- Make Planning Systems Work More Effectively – Incentivise better planning and productivity reforms by the States for efficient delivery of cities and housing.
- Streamline Environmental Approvals – Starting with the recently proposed, single point of contact system to improve the administration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
- Keep Capacity & Create Efficiency – Keep credit available with smart lending practices, deliver housing initiatives that balance supply and develop broad based tax reform including incentivising increased stamp duty thresholds to bring down costs for median priced houses.
The development and construction industry is an essential plank of the economy, delivering $360 billion in economic output, supporting 1.156 million jobs and generating some 9% of Australia’s GDP in the last year. Every dollar invested generates $2.90 in the wider economy and supports 40+ other business sectors.
“Our industry can not only pull the economy into the next phase of growth, but it can also deliver the increased supply and housing needed to mitigate a spiraling affordability crisis across Australia. UDIA looks forward to working with Australia’s political leadership to shape Australia’s ongoing prosperity,” said Maxwell Shifman.
UDIA in action
Most of the Standing Advisory Groups that work with and support the three UDIA WA Strategic Committees met this week to kick off the latest round of committee meetings.
On Monday the Diversity Committee met and enjoyed a presentation from Henrietta Podgorska, Senior Management of Communications and Engagement at Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services on supporting multicultural diversity.
The committee also discussed the promotion of the UDIA WA Diversity Toolkit, available to UDIA WA members here and also received an update from the RAP working group around the progress on their engagement strategy.
Tuesday saw the Land Use Planning Standing Advisory Group (SAG) meet to progress several of their priorities for this year including the creation of a paper that has been put forward to the UDIA WA State Council around a governance arrangement on the Development Contribution Schemes Reform.
Following this meeting the Infrastructure SAG also met and received updates on a number of Working Groups and a recent Infrastructure WA workshop looking at construction market capacity challenges. The SAG also received several updates on Infrastructure Agencies including Western Power, Water Corp, ATCO Gas and IPWEA.
On Wednesday morning the Climate Action SAG welcomed a presentation from the Department of Water, Environment and Regulation on their Climate Adaption Strategy. In addition, the Group also progressed work on UDIA WA’s Climate Action Position Statement, looking at how the SAG can implement and lead actions referred to in the Statement.
Wednesday afternoon the Built Form SAG met and received a response from Premier Mark McGowan to a submission UDIA lodged around the extension of the Stamp Duty Rebate. At this time the Government is not looking to extend the Rebate, however has taken the submission into consideration.
The group also received information on the Development Ready Pipeline Project that the UDIA WA Research team are currently working on, which will be piloted in Perth using the Giraffe geospatial platform. Following its launch early next year the intention is for this Project to be rolled out on a national scale.
The Urban Water SAG met on Thursday morning and received updates relating to their priorities for this committee term looking at how they can work with other SAGs to further progress the UDIA WA Policy Priorities.
This afternoon the Community Engagement and Education SAG met and endorsed their new Consultation, Engagement and Education Strategy. The committee has developed the strategy and is now in the process of forming working groups to progress priority actions in the strategy.
The final SAGs and the three Strategic Committees all meet next week and UDIA WA will keep members updated on the outcomes from these meetings.
Book for your chance to WIN
UDIA WA are pleased to present an opportunity for our members to win a $250 Crown Voucher simply by registering to attend our End of Year Sundowner by COB Monday 31 October.
Not only will you be registering to attend the ultimate networking event, set to take place on the iconic Cottesloe Forshore but you have the opportunity to potentially win big with Crown.
Click here to register for the event and go into the draw for the voucher.
Big thanks to our End of Year Sundowner Sponsors MNG., Douglas Partners, Effective Property Solutions and Underground Power Development.
Member Briefing
We are just two weeks away from our exclusive Member Briefing in collaboration with Urbis as we officially present the latest figures from the September edition of the Urban Development Index.
During this member briefing Perth’s leading property economists David Cresp and Tim Connoley of Urbis will review the Urban Development Index results for Q3 2022 and provide an overview of where they see the Perth greenfield land market heading and what will be the key influences going forward.
The Urban Development Index is a quarterly research publication released by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA WA), which covers Residential Land Activity. It provides a comprehensive analysis of land sales activity in the state, as well as current property and economic conditions. Data and analysis includes land sales, lots on the market, and developer lot construction intentions over the next 12 months.
Networking drinks and light refreshments will be provided after the session.
This session is free of charge for UDIA WA members only.
Spots are limited and RSVP’s are essential. To confirm your place please use the link below register. Registrations close Friday 21 October.
Register your attendance here.
New partnership with The Property Tribune
This week UDIA WA were delighted to embark on a brand new partnership with The Property Tribune which will see the ideas and thought-leadership pieces produced by UDIA WA in The Urbanist reach a whole new audience.
As part of the new partnership The Property Tribune will republish articles from previous editions of The Urbanist while UDIA WA members can enjoy exclusive access to the latest edition.
The first article published by The Property Tribune features the Cover Story from our #2 2022 edition that focused on Community Engagement. In this article we share the insights of Kado Muir and Hassel’s Natalie Busch around the importance of meaningful engagement with First Nations Communities.
To read this article, click here.
To read the full edition that features this article, click here or to read the latest edition, which focuses on Future Proofing, click here.
Home in WA set to air this week
UDIA WA are delighted to announce the next episode of Home in WA will go to air this Sunday 16 October at 4.30pm on Channel 7 & 7HD.
In this weekend’s episode we visit Gallery Estate by Satterley Property Group and hear from Satterley’s Fraser McInnes as well as UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck.
Gallery by Satterley Property Group in Willagee is a great example of how the development industry is meeting the needs of a range of new home buyers and making a positive contribution to the existing community.
Gallery is a unique micro-community nestled into the area, that offers a mix of nature, history, architecture, public art, and green open spaces within easy reach of existing amenities such as schools, shops and transport options.
Gallery is a great example of how quality infill development can bring many positives – not only for new home buyers, but to the existing community as well.
UDIA WA is a proud partner of Home in WA. Tune into Channel 7 or 7HD this Sunday from 4.30pm to watch this episode and for more information about Home in WA or to feature your company in an episode, click here.
Expressions of Interest open for Housing First Homelessness Advisory Group
This week the State Government announced the opening of Expressions of Interest for the Housing First Homelessness Advisory Group in a bid to support the McGowan Government’s continued implementation of All Paths Lead to Home: Western Australia’s 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness 2020-2030 (the Strategy).
The State Government, through the Department of Communities and Shelter WA are calling for nominations from interested people from across Western Australia.
The advisory group will seek a diverse range of representation and will include up to 12 members, will be chaired by the Minister for Homelessness and will meet quarterly starting in early 2023. Meetings will aim to identify reforms, progress implementation of housing first approaches and remove barriers.
This group consolidates existing advisory groups including the Western Australian Council on Homelessness and the Supporting Communities Forum Working Group on Homelessness. Furthermore, operational working groups administered by the Department of Communities will be consolidated.
For more information about the Housing First Homelessness Advisory Group or to register an EOI, visit the Department of Communities, click here.
The EOI is open until Friday, 11 November, 2022.
National Congress opportunities
UDIA National Congress returns to Perth in 2023 and there are opportunities for UDIA members to get involved with the national celebrations.
Set to be held from March 27-29 at Crown Perth, it is the key networking event of the year as delegates from all over the country come together to learn, engage and interact with the compelling content on offer.
There are a variety of sponsorship opportunities available, including sponsoring one of the categories at the UDIA National Awards for Excellence where the WA winners announced at the 2022 Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner will be flying the flag for WA.
To view all of the opportunities available, read the National Congress Partnership Prospectus here and reach out to National Sponsorship Manager Anthony Nicolaou at anicolaou@udiansw.com.au with any questions.
New pilot program to grow early stage venture capital in WA
The State Government is expanding the investment pool for local startups with a new pilot program to bolster venture capital funding in the State.
The WA Venture Support program (WAVES) is a new three-year pilot grant program to encourage the formation of new early stage venture funds in the State. The funds are then invested in local startups, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Innovation and ICT Minister Stephen Dawson said WAVES was designed to attract the funds that will support the commercialisation of the promising ideas generated by Western Australia’s growing early-stage innovation ecosystem.
As part of the pilot program up to three funds will each receive $100,000 in matched annual funding for three years. The funding will contribute towards the operational costs.
Applications are now open and will close on 9 November. For more information on WAVES and how to apply, visit: JTSI Western Australian venture support.
UDIA Online Access Code
UDIA WA are pleased to share a new Corporate Accommodation Rate Code for our members to receive 15% off accommodation with Crown Perth.
To access the discounted rates simply book via the Crown Hotels website and quote our Corporate Access code urband3357 in the promotional code field to receive your negotiated corporate rate.
Full instructions can be found here and for more information and T&Cs, click here.