UDIA WA Election Commitment Tracker
UDIA WA is pleased to launch our online State Election Commitment tracker to assist industry in staying up to date with all the election commitments made by all major parties in the lead up to polling day on 8th March.
The tracker provides a list of the commitments made to date, by the Labor Party, Liberal Party, Nationals and Greens. It will be updated every time a relevant announcement is made and includes commentary on UDIA WA’s position on each commitment.
With all Parties hot on the campaign trail, this is a great way to keep abreast of the latest announcements, including Labor’s recent commitments in relation to Stamp Duty, Build to Rent support, and Keystart changes.
You can view the UDIA WA State Election Commitment Tracker here.
Housing Market Outlook with Tim Lawless
Thanks to the close to 300 guests who joined us on Wednesday morning to kick off UDIA WA’s Industry Breakfast series for 2025!
The audience heard from CoreLogic Research Director Tim Lawless, who provided a comprehensive overview on the latest housing market trends across Australia, and then drilled down to a WA context. The timing could not have been better with the RBA making their decision to cut the official cash rate just 24 hours earlier.
Mr Lawless outlined Perth’s increasing affordability challenges and ongoing housing supply shortage. According to CoreLogic, Perth dwelling values are moving through the strongest 5 years of growth since 2008, with dwelling values surging 78% in that timeframe.
Looking forward, he advises that population growth is easing (but remains strong) and labour markets are likely to remain tight until at least 2027.
While we are seeing early signs of housing supply pressures easing, we still have a significant challenge ahead in reaching our housing targets. Mr Lawless advises that ongoing government support to facilitate housing supply is critically needed.
Mr Lawless fantastic presentation was followed by a panel session featuring valued industry experts Emma Hains (ABN Group); Ben Rosser (CEDAR WOODS PROPERTIES LIMITED) and Philip Anderson (Westbridge Funds Management). One of the key messages from the panel, was the need to support more medium density projects in a range of areas to suit changing buyers needs and budgets. Greater consideration for the use of alternative building materials to keep costs down for buyers was also a hot topic for discussion.
A huge thank you to Event Sponsor Mirvac, represented at the event by Priya Correia and our Technology Partner nbn® Australia represented at the event by Richard Milloy.
View photos from the industry breakfast here
Mr Lawless followed up our industry breakfast with an exclusive Boardroom Lunch event supported by Harvey Norman Commercial at Frasers, Kings Park. Guests received further insights into the WA housing market, and engaged in a robust discussion spanning topics including the latest changes to the National Construction Code.
Thanks to Harvey Norman for providing UDIA WA members with another fantastic opportunity to learn, engage and network.
New report prioritises housing supply and affordability
The Productivity Commission’s comprehensive new report Housing construction productivity: Can we fix it? was welcomed by UDIA National this week, as it provides policy directions to address decades of low housing construction productivity.
While economy wide productivity has improved 49% in the last 30 years, housing productivity has declined 12% over the same period.
The report points to contributing factors including heavy regulation, complexity of construction, a fragmented sector and a shortage of skilled labour.
“The Productivity Commission’s recommendations to improve housing productivity and supply, align with UDIA’s evidence-based research and advocacy, which has consistently called for all levels of governments to reduce the regulatory burden, streamline and speed up approval processes, support innovation and improve workforce flexibility,” said Col Dutton. National President, UDIA.
A key aspect of improving productivity is an independent review into complexity in regulation holding back progress on the National Construction Code (NCC).
UDIA looks forward to working with the Productivity Commission and government to implement lasting change that will drive productivity, supply and housing affordability.
Guidance for Structure Plan Extension
A guidance document for extending the duration of structure plans has been released in advance of the impending expiry of many structure plans in October 2025. UDIA WA raised concerns about this with DPLH, WAPC and Minister Carey during 2024.
The publication of guidance follows this advocacy from UDIA WA on behalf of members to gain clarity around the extension of existing structure plans due to expire imminently.
The document outlines the extension process for proponents and local governments, consultation requirements and, other key considerations for the process. There is also an FAQ section to address the common questions that have been asked to date.
To view the guidance, please follow the following link Structure Plans – Proposal to extend duration.
UDIA State Conference a sell out!
We are looking forward to welcoming guests to our 2025 State Conference next Wednesday at our new Busselton location where we will explore the topic ‘developing the future of WA’.
The packed house will hear from high calibre guest speakers including Futurist Steve Sammartino; Chief Scientist Prof. Peter Klinken; EPA Chair Darren Walsh; WAPC Chair Emma Cole and many more fantastic experts from overseas, interstate and local.
For those that are not able to attend this year, we are launching an exclusive State Conference edition of The Urbanist magazine to complement the event that will be made available to all UDIA WA Members next week. You will be able to read articles featuring most of our guest speakers, as well as find out more about development happening in the South West and the challenges and opportunities for urban growth in the region. Stay tuned for more updates on key learnings from the conference over the next couple of weeks.