State Conference showcases Bunbury
UDIA WA’s sell out annual State Conference was held in WA’s ‘second city’ of Bunbury in the state’s south last month, attracting a dynamic group of delegates from private industry, local and state government to learn and network.
The theme for this year’s conference was The Future is Now, which reflected the urgency of addressing the current housing supply crisis, with an eye to delivering housing that is future ready.
The welcome event this year was held at the iconic Froth Brewery in Bunbury, where a moving Welcome to Country was provided by Charmaine Councillor and Aunty Phyllis Warren.
Opening the conference day sessions this year, Minister and local member for Bunbury the Hon. Don Punch outlined the State Government’s priorities for urban growth in the regions, with a ‘water first’ approach to development given the scarcity of water in a drying climate. Following on from the Minister’s opening, former Queensland Premier and former head of the Australian Banking Association, Anna Bligh, provided a keynote presentation that set the scene in terms of Australia’s economic context and housing markets across the nation. Ms Bligh provided candid insight into political decision making and government priority setting in relation to housing supply based on her own experience leading government and commended UDIA WA specifically on our Pre Budget Submission and the detailed recommendations that are solutions focused and costed.
Ms Bligh’s thoughtful presentation was a tough act to follow, but Professor Alan Duncan, Director of Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre was certainly up to the task, coming straight to the conference from the launch of BCEC’s latest population report ‘Every Person Counts: Planning for WA’s Future Population’ and focusing his presentation on the impact of demand side drivers on our property market as well as outlining the key findings from the report, including the need for WA to plan for 4 million residents by 2043.
Member of the National Housing Supply & Affordability Council, Gail McGowan, followed Professor Duncan, providing an update on the National Housing Accord targets before a panel session exploring alternative housing models with Kylee Schoonens (Rothelowman) Megan Gammon (Urbis) and Rod Hamersley (ADC Property) unpacked the opportunities and challenges associated with delivering projects including build to rent, co-living and purpose built student accommodation in the WA market.
One of the highlights of day one was the presentation from UDIA WA Local Government Authority of the Year winner Virginia Miltrup, CEO, City of Karratha with her insights into Project Dorothy and how the City is facilitating housing delivery in a highly constrained regional market. The city’s innovative and proactive approach to solving a ‘wicked problem’ was applauded by the audience.
The day concluded with a bus tour hosted by the City of Bunbury, with participants getting an exclusive tour of potential new development sites and redevelopment plans around the City with Mayor Jaysen Miguel and CEO Alan Ferris before our ‘BunVegas’ themed networking event at the Koombana Bay Sailing Club where delegates got to try their hand at a range of casino themed games and don their best casino themed outfits. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the first day of sessions and showcase the beautiful foreshore at Koombana Bay at sunset.
Day two of the conference featured another opening address from the State Cabinet, this time the Minister for Planning and Lands; Housing and Works; Health Infrastructure the Hon. John Carey MLA, outlining the State’s proactive approach to accelerating housing delivery. Minister Carey was followed by the CEO of the City of Perth, Michelle Reynolds, outlining the City’s vision for 2036 and beyond along with the plethora of projects and developments happening across the CBD. Ms Reynolds was followed by an entertaining exploration of the preferred future city scenarios featured in Professor Julian Bolleter’s latest book Planning for a Continent of Cities.
After morning tea, the focus shifted to the environment, with a case study from GemLife COO Manuel Lang, who outlined the company’s impressive approach to sustainable development across their Land Lease Communities in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Manuel was followed by a panel discussion featuring EPA Chair Darren Walsh, Western Environmental’s Dan Panickar and Hesperia’s Mark Taylor looking at the latest approaches to environmental planning and consideration in the context of climate action. Topics of discussion included navigating the new EPBC Act, strategic planning, and bushfire risk.
The closing keynote address is always a highlight of the conference, and this year was no exception with former Special Forces (SASR) and Commando Nick Caldwell inspiring the crowd with his approach to team building and organisational culture built on decades of experience in challenging and at times war time environments. A key takeaway from Nick’s presentation is that we can push ourselves beyond what we think is possible and approach each day with a positive mindset.
A huge thank you to all our sponsors throughout the conference, Major Sponsors DevelopmentWA, nbn and Western Power. Session sponsors Urbis, Keystart and CTF as well as networking sponsors MNG and Georgiou Strabag Group for your generous support. We look forward to hosting conference in Busselton in 2027!