Award winners revealed this weekend
This Saturday UDIA WA will host the development industry’s night of nights as we recognise the best and brightest from our industry at our annual Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner.
Hosted at Crown Perth the glitz and glam will be on show as more than 500 guests are booked in to celebrate the fantastic achievements seen across every sector of the development industry in the past year and we cannot wait to reveal those winners.
Make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter on the night to find out who will take out top honours. There will also be plenty of photos from the night available following the event.
For more information about any of the nominated projects, click here.
EnviroDevelopment opportunities in WA
This week the UDIA National EnviroDevelopment Manager, Taylor Hood, visited the UDIA WA office to meet with representatives of certified EnviroDevelopment projects and several other UDIA members to discuss the program.
On Monday he held an exclusive information session for members on the EnviroDevelopment Program, which provided useful information for certified EnviroDevelopment projects as well as guidance for any future projects that may undergo the certification process.
During the session he revealed the updates to the system and looked at ways developments in WA can fully maximize the effectiveness of EnviroDevelopment. He showcased some of the excellent marketing opportunities that accompanies EnviroDevelopment and included details of some excellent case studies that have achieved the full six-leaf certification.
EnviroDevelopment is a national rating tool which provides independent verification of a project’s sustainability performance, recognising projects that achieve exceptional sustainability outcomes and providing a point of difference in a highly competitive market.
The UDIA WA EnviroDevelopment team is available to meet with anyone interested in the program. For more information please visit the EnviroDevelopment website here or contact UDIA WA at policy@udiawa.com.au.
Collaboration is key
Next week relevant industry bodies in Western Australia will be coming together to discuss a collaborative approach to present short-term industry support package options to the State Government.
UDIA WA will be meeting with the HIA, MBA, REIWA and PCA to look at ways we can work together to ensure the development industry receives the full benefit of decisions from the State Government.
This presents an excellent opportunity to make sure the government understands the importance of our industry and how this can assist in boosting the market.
UDIA will keep members informed on our progress on this important issue.
UDIA supports Town Teams Conference
UDIA WA was pleased to participate as a major sponsor in the Town Team Movement Conference last Friday themed ‘Discovering Place’. True to the theme, delegates were given the opportunity to discover a range of places around Perth’s ‘historic heart’ district, with speakers and panel sessions held in different locations including bars, a dance hall, restaurants and other interesting spaces in the area. Delegates walked or had the opportunity to ride hire bikes between sessions which gave the whole conference a fantastic buzz and allowed us all to discover new locations around the city that we may not previously have experienced.
The conference keynote speaker, Gabriella Gomez-Mont, shared her extensive experience activating places across Mexico City, where she was the founder of Laboratorio para la Ciudad (The Lab), the award-winning experimental arm of the Mexico City government.
The Lab is a place to reflect about all things city and to explore urban futures for the largest megalopolis in the western hemisphere, working across diverse areas, such as urban creativity, mobility, governance, civic tech, and public space.
Gabriella shared case studies including how The Lab team had reclaimed public spaces in high density, low socio-economic areas in the city for the community using art and positive engagement as their primary tools.
The following multiple panel sessions covered a range of topics around activation, community engagement, improving vibrancy and developing local connections to place, urban forestry and learnings from the current Town Teams.
The Town Team movement has been growing in WA and is an organisation built on volunteers who aim to inspire active citizenship, build connected, resilient communities and better places as well as assist local governments with placemaking, community development and creating a positive, ‘can do’ culture.
UDIA WA is hosting a free Town Team Movement Member Briefing on Wednesday 2 October. More information here.
Time ticking to win a golden ticket!
There is less than a week left to be in with a chance to win a golden ticket to all UDIA WA’s industry breakfast events in 2020. All you need to do is complete our member survey which has been designed to collate comprehensive feedback from you, our members, about our reputation and services.
We appreciate our members support in providing frank and honest responses so that we can ensure we are meeting members needs effectively and make improvements where necessary.
The survey is being conducted by Elton Consulting on behalf of UDIA WA and should take around ten minutes to complete. It closes in less than a week on Wednesday 25 September and all the information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and no individual will be identified in the reporting of results.
Start the survey here.
UDIA Professional Development Program attracts CPD points
UDIA WA’s long running Professional Development Program is currently open for registrations, with the first module kicking off on Monday October 7. The popular program is specifically designed for the WA context and introduces participants to the various areas of knowledge required to operate effectively in our local residential development industry.
The six-day program runs each Monday over six weeks, with participants able to enrol for single one day modules, or for the complete program. Modules 1, 4 and 6 attract REBA CPD points and the full program is also aligned to the BSB 51415 Diploma of Project Management delivered by Swinburne University of Technology.
Led by experienced presenters from the WA property development industry, the course provides practical lessons on how to manage the project lifecycle and understand the principles of commercial awareness, time, quality and cost. More information available here.
More mining workers needed
A new report by the Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA has predicted nearly 21,000 new mining workers will be required by 2024.
Most of these new workers will be required in WA with the report suggesting the next five years will see 30 projects needing 10,679 operational employees. The red dirt stalwart of iron ore accounts for 29% of the growth with lithium, gold and copper also featuring heavily.
The prediction of further jobs comes off the back of an estimated increase in mineral exploration expenditure in the June 2019 quarter. Figures from the ABS estimate expenditure to increase by 5.2% to $629.6m nationally as seen as at the June 2019 quarter with expenditure in WA estimated to increase by 6.2%.
The predicted uplift in resources employees and mineral exploration expenditure could lead to a rise in the property market as previous UDIA WA research has shown there is a key correlation between a rise in resources industry expenditure and a lift in the property market.
UDIA WA State Council elections closing soon
The UDIA WA State Council elections are closing soon with the nominated Key Representative from each UDIA WA Member organisation eligible to vote.
Nine nominations for seven Council positions were received and voting closes at 4pm on Monday 23 September. All key representatives have received their ballot papers and are encouraged to return them to UDIA’s returning officer by the due date: returningofficer@udiawa.com.au
Successful nominees will be announced at the UDIA WA AGM scheduled for 23 October 2019.
UDIA Land Report advertising opportunities now available
UDIA is once again partnering with The West Australian and The Sunday Times to deliver our members an exclusive opportunity to promote their projects to an audience of over 500,000 through the Land Report lift out.
The October Land Report lift out will feature in both The Weekend West and Sunday Times newspapers on the 26th and 27th October 2019. The content will incorporate exclusive UDIA data on lot sales and construction activity across the Perth Metro growth corridors, along with a range of UDIA commentary on the current property market and future predictions.
UDIA is also working with the editorial team on articles that will cover a range of themes including lifestyle features in new areas, community infrastructure, housing diversity, new materials, sustainability and affordability.
Advertisers will also have an opportunity to provide editorial articles.
More information and contact details for the advertising team at The West can be found here. Please note the deadline for booking is 5pm Monday October 7, 2019.
The Land Report is an initiative driven by UDIA to provide our members with a targeted opportunity to communicate with customers. The last edition in May 2019 was a fantastic showcase of what is on offer to the current market and can be viewed here.
Voluntary Port Hedland buy-back scheme receives consultation lead
At the end of last week, the State Government appointed Ross Love to lead consultation and advise on terms for the proposed industry funded voluntary buy-back scheme in the West End of Port Hedland.
This scheme is designed to provide residential homeowners affected by the dust from iron ore related activities with an opportunity to have their home bought from them at a 35 per cent premium on top of the market value.
As part of Mr Love’s appointment he will consult with industry and the community on the scheme and future management of the West End.
We value your feedback!
UDIA is currently working on several submissions on behalf of members. We encourage you to forward any feedback on these items to policy@udiawa.com.au
- Consultation Draft Stata Titles (General) Regulations 2019 (here). Submissions close Monday 30 September, 2019.
- Draft SPP 7.2 Precinct Design, Guidelines and Discussion Paper (here). Submissions close Tuesday 15 October, 2019.
- DWER Climate Change in Western Australia – Issues Paper (here). Submissions close November 29, 2019.
Make your voice heard
The Department of Communities is hosting a discussion on its new WA Housing Strategy 2020-2030 and is welcoming contributions to it by hosting an open discussion event on Thursday October 3.
With the strategy looking to set the direction for the next 10 years in a bid to create a more sustainable and responsive housing system for WA, this is an excellent opportunity to make sure your voice is heard on the matters that mean most to you.
Head down to the Chapel building of the old orphanage, 108 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth any time from 1-4pm on Thursday October 3, 2019.
Vision for fast growing area
On Wednesday, Planning Minister Rita Saffioti released a draft structure plan for East Wanneroo which showcased how the area will adapt to being home to 150,000 people over the next 50 years.
The draft plan contains information on the long-term vision for one of Perth’s fastest growing areas and the plan suggests several significant environmental features will be protected and enhanced with a network of parkland links connecting parks with other public open spaces throughout the district.
The East Wanneroo District Structure Plan was developed in consultation with a community reference group, however it was disappointing that the development industry has not been engaged effectively prior to the release of the draft more broadly.
UDIA WA will be putting a submission together on behalf of members and will raise our concerns in relation to the lack of consultation with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the Western Australian Planning Commission.
The draft plan is available for public comment until Friday December 20, 2019. For more information, click here.
Australia still number one
Australia’s property sector is once again leading the way as it topped the GRESB global rankings for the ninth consecutive year. GRESB is the world’s leading environmental, social and governance benchmark so for Australia to come out on top again is an excellent achievement.
On an individual level, UDIA WA was pleased but unsurprised to see Lendlease, Frasers Property Group and Stockland among the top performers in the last year.
Frasers Property Australia was named the Overall Global Sector Leader among developers in the GRESB Developer Assessment. Achieving a score of 96 out of 100 leagues ahead of the Peer Average score of 78, it comfortably came in ranked first out of 41 developers.
For the fifth time in the past six years, Lendlease’s Australian Prime Property Fund (APPF) Commercial achieved the number one ranking out of 964 global participants in the GRESB real estate assessment.
Stockland was recognised for its strong leadership in sustainability as it was named as the Global Sector Leader for listed companies in the Diversified – Retail/Office category. Stockland have picked up this award for four consecutive years cementing its status as one of the world’s leading companies on sustainability.
Residential dwelling prices down but WA still strong
June saw the average price of residential dwellings in WA fall 3.9% from the same time last year to $498,100, which registered a fifth consecutive YoY decline. However, the price of residential dwellings in WA remained above those in Queensland ($496,100), South Australia ($454,900), Northern Territory ($423,500) and Tasmania ($412,900).
While it is disappointing to see a fifth straight YoY decline, it is encouraging to note we are ahead of the majority of states and territories in Australia.
With the ramp up in mineral exploration expenditure and other mining related activity in WA, UDIA would expect to see a stop in this decline soon and see WA firmly cement itself as having the highest average price of residential dwellings outside of New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.
Site security update
Confidential information provided to PACT Site Security investigators resulted in the arrest of two offenders for offences on BGC Housing sites in Banksia Grove and Golden Bay. The good samaritans who made the report will receive rewards for their efforts.
Recent burglaries in new land subdivisions in Byford suggest offenders are stealing to order, three burglaries in the past month have targeted a hot water unit, oven, hotplate, rangehood, doors, cupboards, bench top, shower screen, sink, vanity and a toilet roll holder.
Ensure you report all building and construction industry crime and report all suspicious activity, for more information click here.