Industry Issues
Your New UDIA WA Council, and AGM outcomes
Your new UDIA WA Council has been elected at the 53rd UDIA WA Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 22 October 2025. Grant Shepherd (Hesperia) was elected to Council as the new President, alongside Greg Rowe (Rowe Group), Adam Shephard (Okeland Communities), Glen McLeod (McLeod Fisher & Hamdorf), Carl Buckley (Peet), Dave Wilson (WS Collective), Emily Young (Purple), Ben Killigrew (MNG) joining ongoing Councilors Immediate Past President Richard Pappas (Celsius Property Group), Jane Bennett (CLE Town Planning & Design), Ryan Hunter (Parcel Property) and Andrew Wallis (Stockland), Emma Kalo (ABN Group) and Michael Lawson (Northerly Group). With Tiffany Allen (CTF) continuing as an Observer.
Greg Rowe and Ryan Hunter were appointed Vice President, and Adam Shephard was appointed Treasurer, together with Grant making up the UDIA WA Council Executive.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to outgoing Council Members Nathan Butson (Cossil & Webley), Lyle Kenny (Perron Group), Justine Roberts (Kingston Development Group), and Karl White (Cedar Woods) for their service and significant contribution to the Institute.
A huge thank you in particular to Richard Pappas, who’s leadership and commitment over the last two years has driven UDIA WA’s advocacy agenda during both a State and Federal Election. We appreciate Richard’s generosity and expertise over that period, ensuring that housing choice is a top priority of government and policy makers in WA, supporting the industry to deliver the homes we need.
Read more about Grant’s appointment and background in our media release here.
A Special Resolution was also passed at the AGM to adopt changes to the UDIA WA Constitution as summarized below:
- Membership Qualifications and Rights: To separate ‘Builder’ from the ‘Developer/Investor/Builder’ member category, and to broaden the definition of the Associate Member category.
- Non-Financial Members: To reflect ineligibility to sit on Council, as a right reserved for Members and those in Council appointed skills gap roles.
- Councillors: To align with contemporary governance practices for Incorporated Associations and support appropriate continuity, succession, and independence on Council, it has been explicitly stated that:
- The immediate Past President is an ex-officio member of Council for 1 year, can vote at Council meetings and participate in the Executive.
- Councillors cannot be on the governing body of another property sector related industry/advocacy body without prior approval.
- Only one Representative of a Member can be a Councillor at any one time.
- Council Meetings: To align with contemporary governance practices and better reflect operational and strategic requirements, changes include updated processes for circular resolutions and meeting record keeping, reducing the minimum number of Council meetings from 8 to 6 per year (noting additional strategic workshops and Council Executive meetings on the off-month), and enabling appropriate use of technology.
- Executive: To formalise the role of Council Executive as a sub-committee of Council, consistent with the Council approved Governance Manual, including a focus on governance, audit and risk while not fragmenting the wholeness of the Council’s job.
- General Election: To align with contemporary governance practices, better reflect operational and strategic needs, and support continuity, succession, independence, diversity of thought, and renewal of the Council, changes include:
- Increasing Councillor terms from 2 to 3 years, with terms to be staggered as far as practicable so no more than 4 positions are declared vacant in any one year.
- Limiting Councillors to serving a maximum of 3 consecutive 3-year terms, with grandfathering provisions.
- Eligibility for Election: To allow nominations for Council from all member categories, except for Government and Student members.
- Election of Vice Presidents and Treasurer: To address challenges with the overly prescriptive requirements and allow greater flexibility by Council having discretion in adopting a rotation schedule for the appointment of the Council Executive positions.
- Accounts and Audit: To reflect the current requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 for a tier 3 association, as well as to incorporate the requirements around the appointment of an auditor as it relates to the Accounts and Audit.
- Common Seal of Association: To remove this outdated and unnecessary clause.
UDIA WA welcomes the State Government’s latest investment in housing innovation
We welcome the Cook Labor Government’s announcement earlier this week seeking expressions of interest for a new advanced manufacturing facility aimed at accelerating the delivery of medium to high density affordable housing and infrastructure projects in WA.
This is a positive step in response to the state’s ongoing housing supply challenges, and aligns strongly with UDIA WA’s advocacy supporting investment in modern methods of construction, advanced construction technologies and increasing housing choice.
All Western Australians deserve to have a home to call their own. It is critical that industry is leveraged and supported to deliver supply across the housing continuum to provide housing choice and ensure West Australians have a home to suit their needs.
With the EOI now open until Wednesday 19 November 2025, we look forward to seeing positive progress in delivering more of the housing we need.
For more information, view the media release from Premier Roger Cook, the Hon. John Carey MLA, and the Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA.
UDIA WA 2026 State Conference launched
A standout event on the industry calendar each year, tickets are now available for the annual UDIA WA State Conference taking place from Wednesday 25 February to Friday 27 February 2026.
Attracting high quality speakers with a focus on thought leadership and innovation, the conference is the perfect opportunity to discuss pertinent property industry issues and market intelligence and insight.
In 2026 the theme is The Future is Now: Delivering the housing we need now, and for our future and will guide our forward-thinking program that will feature industry experts, government representatives and innovative thinkers from around the country.
The specifically curated program will offer outstanding professional development and learning opportunities. Delegates will have the chance to engage in open, honest conversations and share ideas with fellow industry stakeholders with confidence as we operate under ‘Chatham House Rules.’
This year, we’re excited to bring the conference to Bunbury for the very first time, hosted at the Mantra Bunbury Lighthouse. Located on WA’s stunning south west coast and just a short walk from the town centre, the new setting offers a unique opportunity to explore what is happening in the region and in particular, WA’s ‘second city’.
Join us for the ultimate knowledge sharing and networking opportunity in a brand-new setting, and register for the 2026 State Conference.
UDIA WA Member Survey closes soon!
The 2025 UDIA WA Member Survey closes next week at 5pm Friday 31 October.
UDIA WA is dedicated to delivering remarkable value to our members, and therefore it is critical that we continually improve our member services and activities to align with industry needs and expectations.
To have your say and directly inform our advocacy, services and strategic priorities for the next year and beyond, please take a few minutes to complete our 2025 Membership Survey.
Complete the survey by 5pm Friday 31 October 2025 to go in the prize draw to win a $1,000 Crown Voucher! Please ensure to leave your details at the end of the survey to enter.
Infrastructure Development Fund to deliver 1,500 new apartments
17 new apartment developments across Perth have been allocated funding through the Infrastructure Development Fund’s (IDF) Stream 1 – Targeted Apartment Rebate program.
The funding will help deliver 1,500 apartments across sites close to activity centres and transport links in Perth, Wellard, Warwick, Canning Vale and Cockburn Central by assisting with the upfront costs of connecting eligible developments to essential water, wastewater, and electricity services.
Applications for Stream 1 and Stream 2 – Unlocking Infill Precincts are open until 31 December 2025 or until funds are exhausted.
The IDF was established in response to UDIA WA advocacy and we are pleased to see funding allocated under the initiative. We will continue to put forward further solutions to boost apartment project feasibility across Perth and the regions to support our members in delivering housing choice.
For more information, visit Infrastructure Development Fund.
Emerging Leaders Cohort 2 Graduate
Inaugural participants in the UDIA WA Emerging Leaders program completed the mentoring aspect of the program on Wednesday October 15. The wrap up event was a great way to book end what has been a fantastic learning and professional development experience for mentees and mentors alike.
Following a one-day, bespoke Emerging Leaders Course held at AIM, the mentoring program was undertaken over six months. Individuals were expertly matched with an established industry leader and met up one-on-one with them for professional and industry development that is aimed at assisting participants to identify career development goals and hone their leadership style and skills.
Closing out their time together, mentors and mentees came together at the UDIA WA office to reflect on the impact the program had on themselves in their workplaces, but also on how they fit into the broader industry – excited for further opportunities to give back to the industry.
View photos from their graduation.
Our next Emerging Leaders program will commence in February, view the program for more information.
DevelopmentWA are seeking Expressions of Interest
Residential Development in the East Midland Helena Precinct
Expressions of Interest are open until 2pm Tuesday 11 November for the two recently released 1,400 square metre grouped housing sites by the State Government through DevelopmentWA.
Located 500m away from the Midland train station, permitting complexes three to eight storeys in height, Lots 928 & 929 are situated in the Historical Helena Precinct and provide an opportunity to deliver quality built form as part of ongoing urban renewal in the area.
Visit DevelopmentWA for more information, or contact Barney Dear and Jackson Ferri at Savills.
EOI Alkimos Central Trade Centre
Expressions of Interest are open, and close at 2pm Wednesday 26 November, for three commercial sites within DevelopmentWA’s Alkimos Central precinct anchored by global retail chain Costco.
With 17 hectares of land available, the site is suited for showrooms, warehouses, trade and professional services, and bulky goods retailers.
For information visit DevelopmentWA or contact Wayne Lawrence at Cygnet West.
Applications for the 2026 Women in Non-Traditional Trades Scholarship are open
Applications are open for the 2026 Women in Non-Traditional Trades Scholarships. Available across WA’s five TAFEs, the scholarship provides $5,000 to 100 recipients to help reduce financial barriers women face when training and upskilling.
The scholarship is designed to encourage women into industries that that have long been considered male-dominated, where women make up less than 25 per cent of the workforce. Recipients can use the funding to cover expenses such as course fees, learning resources, tools, workwear and personal protective equipment, work tickets and licences, transport, accommodation, and childcare while also receiving tailored mentoring and support services.
For more information, visit TAFE WA.
Rebates for Safety short courses in construction
Construction Training Fund (CTF) is offering funding for upskilling and short-course training for people who work in construction and want to future-proof their jobs through their Upskilling & Short Course Funding program.
Designed to help diversify the expertise of participants, reduce risk and protect workplace occupational healthy and safety, the fund enables participants to claim rebates of up to 70% of the cost of training courses available for eligible construction workers, including apprentices and trainees. Rebates are also available for Asbestos Awareness and Crystalline Silica Exposure Prevention courses.
Visit CTF for more information.
National Updates
Book your tickets for National Congress 2026!
Tickets are on sale for the 2026 UDIA National Congress! Presented by nbn, Congress will be held in Adelaide, taking place from 16 – 18 March. The annual flagship event brings together high-profile local and international speakers, providing attendees the opportunity to hear from experts focusing on the urban development industry in Australia, international case studies and what’s next for the industry in terms of innovation and market demand.
The Congress also provides an opportunity to visit award winning projects across Adelaide during the site tours, network and make new business contacts and to be a part of the UDIA National Awards for Excellence, showcasing our finalists from across Australia and crowning the 2026 winners.
Don’t miss your chance to connect, learn and celebrate with industry leaders from across the country, register for the 2026 UDIA National Congress today!