From the CEO
Sheep, an apology from Albo, death threats to Ministers, domestic violence. Oh and housing.
All in a days work for the Premier responding to the press pack this morning as he announced the new EOI for the private sector to identify lazy land for housing.
It was great to be with the Premier, Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; Homelessness this morning for the media announcement of the process that enables developers to identify and potentially acquire underutilised State Government-owned land to deliver more homes, faster.
As initially revealed by the Premier at our UDIA Lunch in June, this is in response to our advocacy for a simpler, faster process for the private sector to identify viable government owned sites and submit proposals to deliver housing outcomes that would otherwise not be delivered. The cumbersome Market Led Proposals process is not fit for purpose in an environment where housing supply is desperately needed.
As our team digests the detail just released, I encourage members to review the EOI documentation and provide the UDIA team with your feedback around the criteria and overall process so that we can continue to work with the government in ensuring the intended outcome from the initiative is realised. The EOI closes on 21 October 2024. You can view all of the EOI information here.
We are also getting the popcorn ready for ‘The Great Housing Debate’ between the Minister and Shadow Minister for Housing at the final UDIA Lunch for 2024 on 8 November. As we rev up for the State Election in March 2025, we will put both sides of politics to the test. We’ve been inundated with registrations so I encourage you to get in quick.
While there’s plenty more work to be done, its great to pause and celebrate the wins. May there be many more.
Tanya Steinbeck
UDIA WA Chief Executive Officer
Phase 2 of the Housing Diversity Pipeline Launched
UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck joined Premier Roger Cook, Treasurer and Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti and Planning Minister John Carey this morning at a press conference to announce the second tranche of the Housing Diversity Pipeline.
As outlined in the Premier’s speech at our luncheon in June, this new Expression of Interest process will allow developers to propose sites for the delivery of new homes on government owned ‘lazy land’.
The announcement comes off the back of UDIA WA recommendations for Government to work with industry to identify and more rapidly release government sites for the creation of diverse and affordable homes.
On behalf of industry, UDIA WA recommended that providing the opportunity for private developers to identify appropriate government land for residential development, would ensure that viable sites are selected that can facilitate more housing on the ground, faster. We are pleased that the State Government has listened to our advice, given we believe the private sector is best placed to deliver the housing supply we need quickly and efficiently.
While UDIA WA has been engaging with government for some months on this, the recommendation also formed part of our 2025 State Election Campaign, that was officially launched last week.
The UDIA WA policy team has assessed the detail of the EOI process and some of the key points include:
- There is an 8-week EOI period closing 21 October 2024.
- Fast fail approach to determine whether land can be released, with eliminated land being published.
- Proposals for Suitable Sites will then be assessed by a panel against the defined criteria (Development Outcomes – 35%, Public Value – 35%, Capability and Capacity – 25%, Proposal Quality – 5%).
- Where multiple responses are received for the same land or portion of the same land, a competitive evaluation process will occur, and respondents may be shortlisted for negotiations (either as Preferred or Shortlisted – multiple proponents may be invited to negotiate).
- The State has discretion to determine the number of Respondents it will shortlist.
- The State may decide to stage its evaluation of responses.
- The State’s preference is to transact land based on a conditional sale to a successful recipient who will be granted a development lease or development rights in the interim, be responsible for developing the land in accordance with conditions, and then receive titles on completion of development/agreed milestones.
- The State will seek to transact land at fair market value based on the highest and best residential use of the land and may take into consideration the impact of known and unknown constraints and other relevant factors.
- The State will not provide any additional financial contributions or concessions (beyond those already available), prioritise broader delivery of public infrastructure to support a proposal or participate in project delivery / consider partnerships or JVs with the State.
- Successful Respondents will be responsible for deconstraining sites and obtaining all required statutory approvals.
- All enquiries concerning the Request or lodgement of a Response are to be submitted in writing via email to housingpipeline@dplh.wa.gov.au no later than five (5) business days prior to the Closing Time.
In June, with input from Committee members, UDIA WA developed and put a proposal to the Housing Supply Unit around how this EOI process could work.
The goal of our proposal was to ensure an efficient and fit-for-purpose process to enable land and dwelling supply to be delivered to the market as rapidly as possible, while minimising risks and increasing certainty for both Government and industry proponents. There are aspects of our proposal that have not been addressed in the current Guidelines and we will continue our engagement with the Government on these.
If you have specific feedback on the practicalities, please reach out to policy@udiawa.com.au.
Find out more details about the HDP on the Government website here.
Latest round of Infrastructure Development Fund Announced
At the press conference this morning, the State Government also announced the latest round of new apartment projects to receive funding under the $80 million Infrastructure Development Fund.
UDIA WA welcomed the announcement, however, in our Pre-State Budget Submission earlier this year, and in our 2025 State Election Campaign, the Institute has called on the Government to expand the fund into an Infrastructure Catalyst Fund to make a more meaningful impact on apartment project feasibility in a range of areas.
Given we are still seeing record low numbers of new apartment projects getting off the ground in Western Australia, we believe an expanded fund that allows for reimbursement of a range of statutory fees and charges, broader than headworks, would be a very welcome support.
Find out more about the Infrastructure Development Fund here.
National Urban Policy in the spotlight
On Friday, UDIA WA was pleased to host our industry luncheon featuring an overview and discussion of the draft National Urban Policy that has recently been out for consultation.
The draft Policy aims to provide a nationally strategic approach to managing urban growth in our cities. It outlines the Australian Government’s goals and objectives to enable our urban areas to be liveable, equitable, productive, sustainable and resilient.
A big thanks to our speakers for this event, David Mackay, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts who provided an overview of the Policy and the Federal Government’s ultimate vision; Dr Michael Fotheringham, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) provided context for his involvement in the Urban Forum and AHURI’s raft of relevant research; Bronwen Clark, National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA) provided an insight into growth area Council challenges, particularly in the infrastructure space; and Mike Day, Hatch Urban Solutions, inspired the audience with his fantastic insights into the raft of planning and design elements that should be considered to ensure the policy is implemented successfully.
In his keynote, Mr Mackay outlined the role of the Federal Cities and Suburbs Unit in implementing the draft policy, as well as the development of regular State of the Cities reporting; the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program; the Housing Support Program and the Thriving Suburbs Program.
Facilitated by Tanya, our panelists further explored how the national policy could enhance collaboration across the three levels of government, with the Federal Government taking a leadership approach to implementation to ensure that there is coordination and clear priority setting. Other discussion topics included the strain on enabling infrastructure in growth areas and the need for more effective forward planning and funding; the importance of a Mid-Tier Transport Strategy for Perth in particular; and how housing affordability and supply can be considered in the scope of the policy.
We pass our thanks onto our event sponsors, nbn® Australia and Hatch Urban Solutions for supporting Friday’s event.
You can view photos from the event here.
Deliver the homes we need, faster
UDIA WA launched our 2025 State Election Campaign – Deliver the homes we need, faster to members on Friday.
With a State Election looming in early 2025, our campaign provides a set of priorities for the next State Government to address the housing supply crisis that is gripping the state.
We acknowledge the efforts of the current State Government, however without further action, UDIA WA forecasts that we will be around 30,000 new homes short of year-on-year demand in WA by mid – 2029.
Our campaign focuses around three main areas:
– Make it easier to create the homes we need
– Help Keep the cost of homes down
– Plan for our housing needs, now and for our future
Read all about our campaign here.
The Institute has now embarked on a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process to ensure that all relevant government representatives, candidate and opposition members are across the detail of our campaign.
We will be tracking performance against our recommendations in the lead up to, and following, the State Election and we will keep members informed every step of the way.
UDIA broadens Professional Development Opportunities
UDIA WA have been hard at work creating and updating our range of professional development courses available to our members and the broader development industry. In addition to routinely refreshing our regular courses – Built Form Development and our 6 Day Foundations of Property Development – we established a Professional Development Operational Committee this year to support, promote and develop continuous improvement opportunities and high professional standards within the industry.
With guidance from our new committee and thoroughly researching the needs of our members, UDIA WA has introduced a range of new Professional Development courses that are either available now for registration or will be available in the coming months.
New courses include our one-day Introduction to Medium Density Development that will run for a second time this September, along with the brand-new Emerging Leaders Program that ties in a one day leadership course with six months of professional mentoring.
To find out more about all of the Professional Development opportunities that UDIA WA has on offer, that are all tailored specifically to the WA property industry, visit here
New chief executive appointed for Landgate
Starting 2 September, the Cook Government has announced that Trish Scully will be taking the helm of Landgate as the new chief executive officer for a five-year term.
Ms Scully has nearly 30 years of experience in auditing, finance, strategy, project and general management. She is currently the general manager of location services at Landgate.
Landgate is the Western Australian Land Information Authority and is responsible for the State’s land titles register, provision of property valuation services to the government, and maintenance and delivery of authoritative location information.
We look forward to working with Ms Scully in her new role from September.
Read the full media release on the Government website here.
Time is Ticking to Save! UDIA National Congress Early Bird Closing Soon!
Don’t miss out on the biggest savings for National Congress 2025! The Super Early Bird tickets are closing soon, and this will be your final opportunity to secure tickets at the best price.
The annual UDIA National Congress provides members the opportunity to hear from high-profile speakers 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.
UDIA National Congress will be held from 17 – 19 March 2025 at the Star Brisbane. Congress is a fantastic opportunity to visit award winning projects across Brisbane, network, and be part of the UDIA National Awards for Excellence – showcasing the finalists across Australia and crowning the 2025 winners.
Super Early Bird tickets will close 31 August!
Act fast and grab your tickets now before ticket prices rise from 1 September.