National Updates
Clearing the decks with DCCEEW
Last Tuesday, UDIA WA welcomed our UDIA National colleagues to Perth as we hosted a meeting with Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) representatives to discuss the federal environmental approvals process including matters relating to avoidance, offsets and assessment guidance as well as alignment between state and federal processes. This meeting is part of wider engagement that UDIA is undertaking across the country to ‘clear the decks’ of projects held up in the EPBC process, identify improvements and provide greater certainty for the development industry if a project is referred.
The meeting gave members an opportunity to discuss their recent experiences with the EPBC approvals process as a way to demonstrate where issues within the various processes lay as well as inconsistencies across the State and Commonwealth approaches to matters of environmental significance.
The overall collaboration between the State and Commonwealth was key point of discussion with acknowledgement from DCCEEW that they have a willingness to better engage and coordinate across a range of matters to reduce friction in the process for proponents. There appeared to be a general appetite to explore the potential for a bilateral agreement and a more strategic approach to offsets, aligned with UDIA WA’s advocacy.
UDIA WA looks forward to continuing to work with both DCCEEW and DWER to continue this dialogue with a view to facilitating better outcomes for development and the environment in Western Australia.
Productivity Roundtable Submission – Input welcome
In the lead up to the Federal Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable being held from 19-21 August, UDIA National are preparing a submission in response to a request for ‘low to no cost’ productivity reform ideas for cutting red tape, driving innovation and increasing labour supply and mobility. We welcome member input and encourage you to send through any recommendations to our Policy team in the coming days.
UDIA National Housing Pipeline® Developer Survey
UDIA WA was excited to launch our 2025 NHP Developer Survey to our Western Australian developer members earlier this week, as part of a national roll-out of this crucial data collection phase of the UDIA National Housing Pipeline® (NHP) project. The NHP has become UDIA’s primary tool for providing the development industry and all levels of government with a comprehensive, evidence-based view of the forward residential development pipeline. It plays a critical role in identifying where targeted infrastructure investment and planning improvements can unlock new housing supply across both greenfield growth areas as well as urban infill locations.
The annual NHP Developer Survey requests our property development members to provide data and status updates on all undeveloped land holdings and projects – which are intended to be developed for residential dwellings over the next ten years. This year the survey window is open for four weeks with the deadline for survey submissions due by Friday 15 August 2025.
The NHP is nationally coordinated project which is squarely focussed on the new dwelling supply pipeline within each major Australian Capital City region and combines:
- A land supply and development constraints analysis of residentially zoned land and (potential) future residentially zoned land (spatial analysis undertaken by MNG);
- Direct inputs from UDIA developer members about the status of landholdings/projects in their development portfolio through our NHP Developer Survey;
- Assembly of additional infill development site supply intelligence (co-curated with Urbis); and
- Industry expert ‘vetting’ of preliminary 10-year forecasts of development yields across each LGA and metropolitan sub-region in NHP Technical Workshops (hosted by UDIA WA).
The data and insights generated by the UDIA NHP addresses a key gap in government’s understanding of ‘development-ready’ land supply and is a vital component to our ongoing advocacy and policy engagement. The 2025 NHP program is seeking to build on the success and momentum of our 2023 and 2024 NHP Reporting. Survey contributions from our developer members will once again be essential to ensure the reporting remains robust, up-to-date, and influential.
Here in Western Australia the NHP data and insights continues to be a key point of engagement with the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), the Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage (DPLH), the Housing Supply Unit (within WA Treasury) and key infrastructure service provision agencies (especially Water Corporation and Western Power) and is providing inputs into various planning, reporting, infrastructure prioritisation and delivery decisions. A strong response from our members from across both greenfield and urban infill locations helps ensure our advocacy is based on current, accurate data to guide infrastructure prioritisation and housing acceleration efforts.
As part of our improvements to the NHP program this year we have provided our developer members a broader suite of supportive NHP survey materials, including a Step-by-Step Guide and have also updated our Data Governance Policy which sets out the various protocols we have in place to ensure that NHP survey data remains secure and confidential throughout each NHP reporting cycle.
UDIA WA and UDIA National extends a very warm vote of thanks to all of our developer members who complete the 2025 NHP Developer Survey and encourage all queries and questions about the survey and the broader UDIA National Housing Pipeline® (NHP) project to be directed to UDIA WA’s Head of Research (and the NHP Project Lead) Toby Adams tadams@udiawa.com.au
Industry Issues
Business News Power 500 2025
Business News have released Power 500 2025, revealing the movers and shakers in Western Australia.
Our fantastic CEO, Tanya Steinbeck, has been recognised as one of the most powerful advocates in the state. Listed in the top five, she stands alongside Rebecca Tomkinson from the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA, Carolyn Smith from the United Workers Union, Warren Pearce from Association of Mining and Explorations Companies, and Steven McCartney from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.
To be listed among so many impressive advocates is a testament to the continued hard work that Tanya has put in leading team UDIA WA.
UDIA WA and UDIA National continue from strength to strength as our President Richard Pappas once again makes the property list this year as does our National President, Col Dutton.
We are proud of our advocacy work – built on mutual respect and that looks for solutions that acknowledge the complexities of our sector. We will continue to work hard to ensure the housing needs for all of WA are not just met, but made up of vibrant, sustainable communities for everyone.
Power comes and goes, but real change is the culmination of a series of choices to make a difference. No matter your role or seniority, we can each lead from where we stand and make a difference.
We’re Hiring!
UDIA WA has an exciting Policy Officer opportunity available.
This is a great opportunity to support advocacy to address WA’s housing crisis!
With housing supply and affordability continuing to be a key priority for all levels of Government, this is an exciting and important time to be a part of UDIA WA and contribute to enabling the delivery of the homes we need, faster.
Join our dynamic and passionate team and rapidly expand your understanding of various aspects of urban development and relevant policy areas, build connections, and make a difference!
Refer to SEEK for more information: https://www.seek.com.au/policy-officer-jobs/in-All-Perth-WA?jobId=85796658&type=standard
UDIA WA submission on the draft EPA EIA Practice Guide
UDIA WA has provided its submission to the EPA regarding the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Practice Guide. The document is intended to consolidate the existing Administrative Procedures and the Procedures Manual.
Whilst most of the land development industry will go through the section 48A process of the Environmental Protection Act 1986, the draft Practice Guide currently only applies to section 38 due to the nature of the documents it is replacing. Whilst the section 48A process is a crucial one for infrastructure projects such as road, rail and water which underpin urban development, and we have welcomed the document as one that provides principles we would like to see across all aspects of urban development. The draft Practice Guide has incorporated feedback from the Vogel-McFerran Review across various aspects, including the identification of the roles of the EPA Services directorate.
Overall, UDIA WA welcomes the draft Practice Guide and looks forward to engaging on our feedback around the section 38 process either being incorporated or receiving its own document version with the same guiding principles.
New guidelines for design review of major developments
Following input and feedback from industry and local governments, the WAPC has released a revised State Design Review Manual and a newly created Local Government Design Review Manual. The new and revised manuals for design review aim to simplify and streamline assessments, promoting good design practices.
UDIA WA provided feedback in response to both of these documents, and we are pleased to see many of our recommendations have been incorporated into the final versions.
The creation of a dedicated Local Government Design Review Manual is designed to create greater consistency and efficiency to design review practice across the local government sector.
The new resource outlines key aspects of the process, including design review thresholds, roles and responsibilities, eligibility criteria, and standardised deliberation and reporting templates.
Changes to the new and updated guides also recommended reducing reporting timeframes – State panels are required to complete reports within 10 days, down from 14, and local government panels are recommended to complete reports within 7 days.
UDIA WA’s Policy Team will continue to work with our committees to monitor the implementation of the Manuals and provide feedback to WAPC as necessary.
View the new and revised guidelines for design review of major developments.
View UDIA WA’s SDRP Manual submission.
View UDIA WA’s Local Government DRP Manual submission.
UDIA WA thanks Stuart Nahajski for his outstanding contributions
UDIA WA extends its sincere thanks to Stuart Nahajski for his long-standing invaluable contributions as an active committee member and contributor to UDIA WA Educate courses.
Beginning in 2009 with the Foundation of Property Development course, Stuart has been a consistent and passionate contributor to UDIA’s Professional Development programs, including the newly launched Project Feasibility, Risk and Finance course, where his depth of knowledge and real-world experience greatly enrich the learning experience for participants.
He has served on the UDIA Infrastructure committee and judges the Engineers Australia Excellence Awards reflecting his commitment to fostering industry knowledge and excellence. With over 30 years of experience in delivering complex, large-scale projects across WA, Stuart has led initiatives that blend commercial performance with sustainability, including Australia’s first industrial renewable energy microgrid. His leadership continues to shape WA’s energy transition and land development sectors. We are deeply grateful for Stuart’s ongoing commitment to sharing his expertise, supporting the next generation of professionals, and helping shape the future of our industry.
Ministerial engagement
On Wednesday last week, UDIA WA’s CEO and Executive Director – Strategy and Policy met with Minister Beazley, Minister for Local Government; Disability Services; Volunteering; Youth; Gascoyne. The purpose of the meeting was to give the Minister and her office an understanding on the current state of the market and issues that UDIA WA see as impacting housing supply as well as discussing matters pertaining to her Local Government portfolio. This included matters such as public open space and public art contributions, streamlining planning at the local government level and supporting land lease communities.
Earlier today, UDIA WA’s CEO and Executive Director – Strategy and Policy met with Minister Swinbourn, Minister for the Environment; Community Services; Homelessness to discuss the Minister’s environment portfolio. UDIA WA reiterated our support for recent environmental reforms and structural changes which have been well received by the industry. Additionally, regional planning, offsets, parallel decision-making for planning and UDIA’s recent engagement with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) were all discussed. We thank Minister Beazley and Minister Swinbourn for the productive discussions and look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that facilitating the timely delivery of diverse and affordable housing supply remains at the forefront of decision making.
WAPC 2025-2029 Strategic Plan finalised
The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) has finalised their 2025-2029 Strategic Plan with an intent to drive coordinated and contemporary planning.
The WAPC Strategic Plan is focused on key opportunities for Western Australia’s sustainable growth and economic diversification:
- Accelerated residential land and housing supply across the State through streamlined planning, with housing diversity and affordability to support the resilience of our communities.
- Strategically-led planning with a coordinated approach to infrastructure-enabled delivery and stronger alignment between planning and environmental approval pathways.
- Economic diversification and the jobs of the future bolstered by a ready supply of strategic industrial and employment land, and renewable energy transition optimised through a new planning code.
- A transparent and accessible planning system for Western Australian communities, which is efficient and contemporary for our stakeholders
View the WAPC’s 2025-2029 Strategic Plan.
Latest round of Infrastructure Development Fund to support 1,200 apartments
The WA government has allocated $12 million to support the development of 1,200 apartments through the latest funding release of the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF). Delivered through the Stream 1 – Targeted Apartment Rebates Program, the funding focuses on delivering homes near train stations and activity centres across Perth.
Supporting the delivery of 1,200 homes including 36 social and affordable dwellings, the IDF will aid with the upfront costs of connecting essential water, wastewater, and electricity services for 15 apartment projects in Burswood, Cockburn, Rivervale, and Woodbridge.
Applications for Stream 1 and Stream 2 – Unlocking Infill Precincts, have been extended to 31 December 2025 or until funds are exhausted.