CEO Report
As we recognised and celebrated some of the outstanding projects being delivered by our members at UDIA’s Awards for Excellence last Saturday night, I was reflecting on the increased diversity in development outcomes that we are now shining a light upon.
Demonstrative of how both development and UDIA is evolving, Exchange at Curtin University took out the Masterplanned Communities category, recognised for showcasing how a university can meaningfully integrate with the local community and provide a diverse range of uses including student teaching facilities, hotel, student accommodation, commercial enterprises, retail, social and sporting facilities all within a bustling Transit Oriented Development site.
The Judges’ Award was given to Foundation Housing for their Specialist Disability Accommodation at 7A & 7B Carman Way in Bassendean. I had the privilege of seeing first-hand the outstanding quality of the homes and speaking with the residents who benefit from the client-centred approach in which the project was designed and delivered.
Excellence in Sustainability & Affordable Housing was awarded to Witchcliffe EcoVillage – a first in carbon negative community living with a holistic approach to reducing ongoing living costs in our South West. If we had a “Hard Won Victory” category, Sustainable Settlements & Perron Developments would have won that too given the years of challenges they have overcome to achieve this outcome.
Our overall winner of the Russel Perry Award for Urban Development Excellence went to Blackburne Property Group for One Subiaco. The project is a catalyst for reinvigorating downtown Subiaco, demonstrating that neither height nor density is the enemy when we are wanting to bring dormant inner suburbs back to life.
The evolution of our city and our State is exciting. Increasingly connecting to, respecting and reflecting our Aboriginal cultural heritage in our projects is equally energising. Today the UDIA team and RAP Working Group spent valuable time with Aboriginal elders and Kambarang Services discussing ways in which UDIA can create and facilitate respectful relationships, recognition and real opportunities for Aboriginal people in our State.
Great change is preceded by chaos, the challenge is seeing beyond the crises for the opportunities and leading the way.
UDIA WA Committee Nominations now open!
We are excited to announce that nominations for the UDIA WA Committees are now open!
Our committees have been realigned with a greater focus on the outcomes we are delivering for our communities, and to maximise member value. This year, we are also creating an Expert Pool to bring together experts from across a broad range of specialist areas to supplement and support our committees.
Do you have the energy, passion, and commitment to help drive true reform and make a difference? If so, we encourage you to nominate.
Read the Nomination Kit to find out more about the committees and Expert Pool, as well as nominee considerations and selection criteria.
You can apply for a Committee or the Expert Pool by completing the online form by COB Wednesday 11 October 2023.
Feel free to reach out to Isaac or Sarah in the Policy team if you have any queries.
Participation through our committees or Expert Pool is a great way to amplify your impact in supporting great places and housing choice to enable better lives for Western Australians.
We value member feedback – new survey
We are keen to hear how well the services we provide are currently meeting our member’s needs and what we could do to improve those services.
Please take the time to share your thoughts by completing the survey before 5pm on Tuesday 3 October. It should take no longer than 10 minutes.
We encourage your frank and honest feedback. All the information you provide will be treated as confidential and de-identified in reporting of results.
By completing this survey, you can also go into the draw to win a $1,000 Crown Perth Voucher!! To enter, please leave your details at the end of the survey.
Policy Team In Action
UDIA’s CEO and Executive Director – Strategy and Policy started off the week with a quarterly meeting with the WAPC Chair, Director General of DPLH, Assistant DG and Chief Planning Advisor. Topics of discussion included:
- The MD Code and the next steps following the Ministerial Roundtable on 8 September
- The layered and cumulative impact of reforms and policies and the importance of housing affordability impact assessment
- The UDIA Development Ready Pipeline and strategic infrastructure coordination and funding, including the role of DPLH
- The scope and status of the review of Liveable Neighbourhoods, which has been delayed with the recent decisions around the MD Code
On Tuesday, UDIA WA participated in the kick-off meeting for Western Power’s new Design Conformance Review process Trial, along with developers and engineers whose projects are in the 15 invited to join the Trial. This was an opportunity for those involved to understand the trial steps and requirements, and how involvement is contributing to shaping resultant changes. The DCR stage is a significant bottleneck in Western Power’s the end-to-end land development process so participating projects will also benefit from being prioritised. We appreciate the ongoing hard work of our members who have assisted in progressing the Land Development Review and this subsequent Trial and we continue to work with Western Power in an effort to ensure that positive outcomes for the development industry can be realised.
On Wednesday, the Team participated in the Future of Fremantle Place Design Forum. This Forum built off the Forums held earlier in the year and showcased a range of options for the Fremantle Port site which have been refined down from the initial input from stakeholders. It was excellent to work with Government representatives and other stakeholders to understand what the opportunities are for the development industry in utilising the unique and exciting opportunity that this project presents in building a new and innovative infill precinct in the Fremantle region.
Awards for Excellence winners announced
At a gala event on Saturday night, the very best developments in WA were crowned at the UDIA WA Awards for Excellence 2023.
From one of the world’s most sustainable developments in the South West, to the height of luxury in Subiaco, the award winners reflect the growing diversity of housing options available to the West Australian market.
Many of this year’s award winners also successfully navigated significant challenges in the wake of the pandemic including cost escalations, supply chain issues, worker shortages and general disruption caused by shutdowns and restrictions.
The quality of these projects and their market success is testament to the dedication and vision of the teams behind them.
UDIA WA offers our heartfelt congratulations to all of the winners and finalists.
We would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank our Platinum Sponsor, the Western Australian Planning Commission; Gold Sponsors Lavan and Stantec; Category Sponsors Slick Design, nbn, Wormall Civil, Western Power, ReGen Strategic, Stockland, WINConnect, Taylor Burrell Barnett, and Longreach Recruitment.
Thanks also to our Spirit Bar Sponsor Harvey Norman Commercial and Photo Booth Sponsor Open Lot.
You can read all about the winners and finalists in the special showcase magazine here.
Supporting Community Housing partnerships
UDIA WA was a proud Event Sponsor at Tuesday’s Community Housing Symposium hosted by Shelter WA.
The event brought together stakeholders from the community housing, government and private sectors, to discuss and dive deep into the challenges and opportunities the community housing sector is experiencing.
The afternoon sessions focused on getting Commonwealth Funding Ready in WA, with particular focus on the National Housing Accord, Social Housing Accelerator and the Housing Australia Future Fund.
Keynote presentations included the Hon. John Carey MLA Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; and Homelessness, the Hon. Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister as well as head of the National Housing Finance and investment Commission (NHFIC) Nathan Dal Bon.
UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck presented in relation to creating a culture of ‘YES’ in Western Australia, supporting innovative ideas to create tailored housing supply for WA’s diverse and growing population.
It was a fantastic day unpacking the challenges and opportunities in relation to housing supply, at the social and affordable end of the housing continuum. We look forward to continuing to work with key stakeholders on the opportunities put forward at the symposium.
UDIA National Congress 2024 – Come for Congress, Stay for F1!
With the F1 taking place the weekend after UDIA National Congress, it’s the perfect time to be in Melbourne! Book your Congress tickets, flights and accommodation early to avoid the F1 rush.
UDIA National Congress returns to Crown Melbourne on 18 – 20 March 2024. The event will feature high profile speakers focusing on the urban development industry in Australia. International case studies, and what’s next in terms of innovation and market demand.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for Congress, contact our National Congress Manager Nichola Byrne for more information: nbyrne@udia.com.au
Thanks to UDIA National Congress Presenting Partner nbn.
UDIA WA progresses RAP
UDIA WA was pleased to take another step on our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) journey today, hosting a workshop with Aboriginal Elders facilitated by Jonathan Ford and Helen Walley from Kambarang Services.
Elders participated in discussion with members of UDIA WA Council, staff and our RAP Working Group to unpack what meaningful actions UDIA WA can take to progress reconciliation. We are looking at our role in reconciliation both from a small team perspective (internal) and from a leadership and member representative perspective (external).
There was a fantastic level of engagement and positivity in the discussions, and we are excited to progress our RAP to the next step and look forward to sharing more about our goals in the coming weeks with members.
If you are interested in getting involved in UDIA WA’s RAP working group or would like more information, please contact Gemma: gosiejak@udiawa.com.au
Are you involved in housing planning and delivery?
Would you like to contribute to better-informed, evidence-based decision-making to reduce the impact of natural disasters on housing?
Curtin University is asking for 10 minutes of your time to complete a short questionnaire.
The questionnaire is part of a national research project by Curtin University funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and part of a national inquiry on Natural Disasters and housing conducted by UNSW, RMIT and Curtin.
You can find further information on the project here
Inquiry into housing policy and disasters: better co-ordinating actors, responses and data.
To complete the questionnaire, follow the link:
https://curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8xd97fLMhmnHz4G
If you have any questions regarding the questionnaire, please contact Dr Francesca Perugia @ Francesca.Perugia@curtin.edu.au
This study is approved by Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HRE2023-0278).
Land Tax Seminar
UDIA held an insightful Seminar this morning on Land Tax, the valuations process, and the recourse available in the event of a disagreement in valuation. It was excellent to garner expert insights from Paul McWilliams of McWilliams Davis, Stewart Nuttall of CBRE, Martin Flint of Flint Legal and Karl White of Cedar Woods.
The key messages as we approach Land Tax season were to:
- review your Land Tax Assessment carefully, the valuation could well be an overestimation of what you should be paying;
- be timely in your response to your Land Tax Assessment, you have 60-days to submit an objection; and
- do you due diligence to ensure you understand the value of your land and any encumbrances upon it.
Materials to assist in the Land Tax Assessment process will be made available to UDIA members at a later date.