In response to the current housing crisis in Western Australia, the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA WA) has launched a 2025 State Election Campaign that makes several key recommendations for any incoming State Government to heed.
“We are heading deeper into a housing crisis,” UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck said. “Direct action needs to be taken now, to ensure we can get the homes we need, to the people that need them, faster.”
“We know that housing affordability and a lack of available housing options are two of the biggest concerns for West Australians right now,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“Acknowledging the efforts of the current State Government, any Party that forms government after the next election will need to ensure that addressing the housing crisis is a top priority,” Ms Steinbeck said.
The Federal Government has set a lofty target under the Housing Accord for WA of 125,000 new homes over five years, UDIA WA is predicting that we will be around 30,000 homes short of what we need for our population growth and around 33,500 new homes short of that target, if urgent action is not taken.
“Our campaign is all about taking a practical, solutions-based approach to addressing the current crisis and giving us the best possible chance of delivering the homes we need, faster ,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“As an industry, we are committed to working collaboratively with government to unblock the forward supply pipeline while we endeavour to keep a lid on rapidly escalating home prices,” Ms Steinbeck said.
Make it easier to create the homes we need
“One of the biggest road blocks to getting new housing to the market, is getting crucial infrastructure approved and delivered to facilitate development,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“Our recommendations in this area focus on ensuring adequate funding for approval and infrastructure service agencies to be able to process applications and deliver required infrastructure,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“We also need a much more streamlined approach to planning and environmental approvals processes, so systems are efficient and don’t bog down development applications in unnecessary red and green tape,” Ms Steinbeck said.
Help keep the cost of homes down
“Taxes, fees and charges impact on affordability and limit housing choice, particularly when the financial feasibility of infill projects (particularly apartments) is so difficult to make stack up,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“Our recommendations focus on first, doing no further harm and putting a freeze on any new property related fees, taxes and charges, as well as avoiding near-term policy changes that could impact supply,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“We also want to see, in the longer term, wider property tax reform that considers settings in relation to Stamp Duty in particular.”
“For improved housing choice in existing areas, we need to look seriously at how we can support the viability of more medium and higher density development.”
UDIA WA is recommending the expansion of the Infrastructure Development Fund to include a broader range of statutory fees and charges, at a higher level of rebate, and enhanced planning to support infill at scale.
Plan for our housing needs, now and for our future
“Many of our recommendations are focused on getting much needed housing on the ground to address immediate demand, and we also need to keep an eye on the future,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“Delivering future ready homes, and anticipating future demand, are all critical to ensuring we avoid some of the issues we are facing currently.”
“Proactively planning, coordinating, and delivering strategically important infrastructure ‘at the right time’ has never been more crucial to unlock and accelerate development for the creation of new homes.”
UDIA WA has also made a range of recommendations around facilitating a sustainable construction workforce, and supporting innovative responses to challenges such as climate change.
View the UDIA WA State Election Campaign.
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