Focus on migration to boost skilled workforce
UDIA National has called on political leaders to focus on targeted migration in the short term, and training in the medium term, to rebuild our workforce with the skills and capacity to build housing.
Migration accounts for 60% of our population growth and is critical to underpinning the skilled labour we need to deliver housing, particularly with construction employment in Australia still 38% below the long run average.
Tied to the need to rebuild the skilled workforce through targeted migration, is the need to ramp up training to meet the demand for housing supply.
As part of UDIA’s Federal Election Policy Fast Track Housing Delivery, the importance of implementing critical initiatives that will boost Australia’s housing capability and get us much closer to the National Accord Housing targets has been clearly outlined.
- Continue to find ways to prioritise migrants with house trade skills to rebuild the capacity of the industry including accelerated residency for migrants that take on a domestic apprentice in 12 months.
- Provide an additional training space to match each migrant skilled worker entering Australia – to ensure we encourage domestic, long term skilled workers.
In our ongoing advocacy, UDIA has acknowledged the recent Labor and Coalition announcements to boost Australia’s training for construction workers and the inclusion of construction jobs on the apprentice priority list. It is through the implementation of these initiatives that we will go a long way toward closing the skills gap and enable more Australians to have a place to call home.
UDIA’s Federal Election Policy document can be found at this link.
Awards for Excellence nominations opening soon!
Nominations will open next week for UDIA WA’s highly anticipated 2025 Awards for Excellence!
This year marks the 30 year anniversary of the Awards for Excellence in Western Australia, and we look forward to taking a look back and sharing how the awards first started, and the evolution of the program over time, during the coming months.
Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for the nominations kit next week and also save the data for our gala dinner on Saturday 13 September, when we will announce the winners of this prestigious annual awards.
A huge thank you to our independent awards judging panel this year including Paul Lakey, Danielle Davison, Lex Barnett and our newly appointed judge David Caddy.
We also acknowledge the fantastic support of our Platinum Partner the Western Australian Planning Commission; Gold Sponsors Lavan and Stantec and all our category sponsors.
There are still sponsorship opportunities available, please contact Chris: cthurmott@udiawa.com.au for more information.
Spotlight on Scarborough
UDIA WA’s Outlook committee is pleased to launch their latest event that will explore the Scarborough Redevelopment project.
This event will provide an opportunity to explore one of Perth’s most significant coastal redevelopment projects.
Designed for young professionals across the development industry, get a first-hand look at the revitalisation of the Scarborough precinct — blending insightful presentations, a guided walking tour, and a dynamic panel discussion.
Find out more and register here.
Collie battery project update
Premier Roger Cook and Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson were joined by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday, to mark the completion of installation works at Synergy’s Collie Battery Energy Storage System.
The Collie battery is set to become one of the biggest batteries in Australia. 640 batteries and 160 inverters are now in place, and when completed, the 500 megawatt battery with 2,000 megawatt hours of energy storage will be able to power around 785,000 homes.
The Collie battery is on track to be completed later this year and will be ready in time for summer.
The Collie battery is Synergy’s third grid-connected battery, with two battery energy storage systems in Kwinana (KBESS1 and KBESS2) now helping to ensure the reliability of Western Australia’s energy system.
NEW! Marketing course launched
UDIA WA Educate has launched a new virtual course that will unpack the fundamentals of sales and marketing in residential projects.
Aimed at recent graduates, those new to the industry or anyone looking to broaden their skills and knowledge in sales and marketing, the new Sales & Marketing for Residential Projects 101 will provide a concise look at a range of relevant topics across three 90 minute ‘lunchtime’ sessions.
For more information on this course, and the range of courses offered through UDIA WA Educate, please visit here
Labour market update
The latest labour market update was released by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) this week.
According to the report, amidst volatility, the key take-away is that the labour market remains tight. The unemployment rate barely shifted, with only rounding tipping it from a revised 4.0 per cent to 4.1 per cent in March.
Total employment increased by 32,200 jobs in March, with growth shared between full- and part-time positions.
The recent Commonwealth Budget provided an update on the Treasury’s reading of the direction of the labour market. Compared to the Mid-Year Economic and Financial Outlook (MYEFO) update from December, the Treasury now sees the unemployment rate stabilising at 4.25 per cent in the forward years, rather than 4.5 per cent.
Read the full report here.