Senior’s Living Luxury wins in WA
Curtin Heritage Living’s Cottesloe redevelopment took the UDIA National Award for Excellence in the Senior’s Living category at the awards gala dinner in Brisbane last night. The award is a fantastic reflection of the innovative and spectacular living options on offer within the project.
The impressive project previously won at the UDIA WA state awards last year in the Senior’s Living and the overall ‘best of the best’ in urban development categories.
“With our aging population, senior’s living is a growing residential development category and the Curtin Heritage Living redevelopment was up against exceptional competition from around Australia,” UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck said.
“We are very proud that a Western Australian development has been recognised on the national stage, showcasing the quality development occurring here.”
The Cottesloe project includes Marine Views Cottesloe, a 128-suite state-of-the-art residential aged care home incorporating design and technology innovations from around the world, and Waterfront Cottesloe, which includes 76 luxurious independent living apartments with thoughtfully designed shared spaces.
The site is also home to the now renowned Gibney restaurant which has been recognised as one of the best new restaurants in Perth, popular with residents and the wider community.
Emma Colombera announced Women in Leadership winner
Acknowledging her experience in leadership and her capacity as a mentor, Director of the Department of Treasury’s Housing Supply Unit Emma Colombera, was announced a joint winner in the UDIA Women in Leadership Award at the gala event last night.
Ms Colombera has extensive experience in the public sector, including senior roles at the Department of Communities, strategic policy roles including Principal Policy Advisor Housing and Homelessness for the Hon. John Carey MLA; and Manager Housing Policy at the Department of Communities.
She has also undertaken previous roles at the Department of Premier & Cabinet; the Department of Treasury; and the Department of Water ensuring a diverse array of experience and knowledge across sectors.
“Emma is a positive role model for other women in the development industry, and in the public sector more broadly, given she embodies the leadership qualities of integrity, agility and intuition,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“She has been a mentor for many young women throughout her career and supported them to develop and move into more senior roles.”
You can read our exclusive profile on Emma in UDIA WA’s industry magazine.
Diversity in Development Award goes to CTF
The Construction Training Fund’s (CTF) consistent voice in the property industry, promoting and expanding a more diverse and inclusive workforce that has a culture of equity and safety has been recognised on the national stage, winning the Diversity Award category at the National Awards for Excellence.
Led by CEO Tiffany Allen, CTF’s strategic plan 2021-2025 “Built to Skill” is delivering key initiatives that support leadership in the sector to enable a diverse and inclusive workforce now and into the future.
CTF has committed to working closely with industry to design appropriate programs and initiatives that particularly encourage greater gender equity in a traditionally male dominated sector.
Through the establishment of a Diversity, Culture and Inclusion Committee, the team has identified training opportunities and developed policies and plans to enhance understandings of diversity and inclusive practice for application within the workplace.
CTF Chief Executive Officer Tiffany Allen said the CTF is committed to building a skilled, diverse and inclusive local workforce.
“The policies and practices the CTF has developed are embedded into the organisation,” Ms Allen said. “Diversity and inclusion is not just a box we tick, but a way of working that every team member embraces.”
UDIA National Congress wraps for 2025
UDIA’s National Congress for 2025 has come to an end following a packed program of networking events, study tours and plenary sessions that showcased host city Brisbane and surrounds.
On Monday night, delegates were welcomed with a fabulous reception at Howard Smith Wharves featuring a dazzling light show, fantastic food and music as part of a valuable networking event before the Congress got underway the following day.
To begin the official proceeding of Congress, National President Col Dutton launched the annual State of the Land report providing an overview of the key statistics. Complementing the report’s launch QIC’s Chief Economist Dr Matthew Peter provided a comprehensive economic overview for delegates that included a run-down of GDP, inflation, interest rates, household consumption, wages and implications for the housing market.
Mitchell Silver, Principal with McAdams, provided a keynote address to complete the day one plenary sessions. He explored the role of placemaking, the importance of parks as part of our healthcare system and finding the right balance between place and people centred design. He shared several global examples including some from here in Australia.
The morning plenary was complemented by an afternoon of study tours, featuring a broad mix of projects from greenfield development in key growth corridors, infill development in Brisbane’s middle ring, to high density social and affordable developments.
Returning for day two, the Honorable Julie Bishop opened the day examining the challenges faced by governments in the face of the changing geopolitical landscape. She unpacked political trends, challenges and opportunities while also exploring energy and technological advances. Closing out her presentation, Ms Bishop took a close look at the upcoming federal election and the changing face of the government makeup with the rise of independents, minority parties and the Teals.
BuildSkills Australia CEO Brett Schimming kicked off the next session with a rundown of Australia’s skill and productivity decline. His address reinforced the view that we won’t be served by a ‘rear vision’ perspective in trying to facilitate a turnaround in workplace shortages. The underlying challenge that needs to be answered is how to present our industry as a viable and rewarding career.
Danielle Wood, Chair of the Productivity Commission kept the conversation going, discussing the various issues impacting on productivity in our industry, such as increasing costs, slow planning and regulatory burden and the high volume of changes to the National Construction Code that have contributed to a situation where housing construction is in decline. She also highlighted what Government can do, including supporting workforce flexibility.
Rounding out the morning MC Lisa Miller facilitated a panel discussion featuring Martin Green (Westpac Group), Matthew Bell (Oliver Hume Corporation) and Caryn Kakas (ANZ) to explore Financing the Future: Pathways to Housing Affordability and Homeownership. The conversation covered the role of banking and finance in addressing housing affordability, creating pathways to homeownership, key industry challenges, and future opportunities.
After lunch, the afternoon began with another panel discussion that examined the property landscape with Kris Daff, Managing Director at Assemble; Scott Langford, CEO, Housing Australia; Angela Buckley General Manager at Mirvac’s Build to Rent BTR (Multi-Family) function; and Tarun Gupta Managing Director and CEO at Stockland. Panelists each outlined their views of the critical housing levers which should be at the top of all political parties’ agendas ahead of a Federal Election in 2025.
Emerging from the panel was the view that the housing crisis is starting to reshape our cities, it is changing the nature of our conversation, and we are at a moment in time where there is a broad recognition of that. The opportunities are now available for good business decisions that innovate across the housing continuum, both financially and in relation to product types, to create the housing we need.
Providing the day’s inspirational keynote address, Anna Meares reflected on the lessons she learned on her journey to become one of the most successful cyclists in the world. She reflected on the importance of setting goals and constantly reassessing the ability to achieve those goals and keeping a focus when uncontrollable things happen. Anna highlighted that it’s when times are challenging that people discover the full extent of their strengths and weaknesses. Which is timely advice for our industry. Officially closing Congress for 2025, the Honorable Michael Sukkar MP gave an address on the Coalition’s four pillars of focus heading into the federal election. Acknowledging the development industry as the engine room of the economy, he welcomed and valued the work of UDIA’s advocacy on behalf of members nationally.
Mr Sukkar suggested that a key takeaway from Congress is the Federal Government’s role in supporting social and affordable housing and the faster delivery of homes across the continuum, with a focus on support for first home buyers to access those homes.
Premier announces new WA Labor Government Ministry portfolios
UDIA WA congratulates the newly appointed WA Labor Government Ministry announced earlier this week by Premier Roger Cook, including returning Ministers and some new faces included in the fresh line up.
We were pleased to learn that the Hon. John Carey MLA has retained his primary portfolios with some slight adjustments. Minister Carey’s portfolio now includes Planning and Lands; Housing and Works; Health Infrastructure.
UDIA WA looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Minister Carey in the refreshed portfolio as we continue to address the state’s housing crisis.
Also of note, we welcomed the Hon. Matthew Swinbourn MLC to the portfolio of Minister for Environment; Community Services and Homelessness, and the Hon. Amber-Jade Sanderson is now Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing; Skills and TAFE; Pilbara.
Congratulations also to our Deputy Premier; Treasurer and Minister for Transport; Sport and Recreation the Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA.
UDIA WA is pleased to continue our positive working relationships with key Ministers as we keep a spotlight on the need to deliver more homes on the ground, faster.
Our team is in the process of preparing briefs for all the incoming Ministers and key staff to ensure our advocacy on behalf of members continues effectively.
UDIA launches State of the Land Report
Earlier this week, at the National Congress, Col Dutton launched the annual State of the Land Report for 2025 that provides a comprehensive overview of the new land market and multi-residential sectors across the country.
In launching the Report, Mr Dutton said the recommendations provided in our 2025 report for both State and Federal governments, present a roadmap of what needs to happen to expedite new dwelling supply, improve affordability and allow the industry to drive improved productivity.
Highlighted in the report, Perth is no longer ‘the most affordable capital city’ ceding that title to Adelaide after the price for new land rose 34% to $329,000 in 2024 while Adelaide has a median price of $307,000.
According to UDIA WA CEO Tanya Steinbeck, the significant increase in new land prices can be attributed to the ongoing housing supply shortage that is impacting the residential property market in WA.
“This is simple demand vs supply theory in practice,” Ms Steinbeck said. “We have seen demand for housing in WA continue to escalate as our population increases, economic conditions remain strong and unemployment is low.”
The report also shows that annual completions were up 24% in Perth’s greenfield land market and house approvals are also up 47%. UDIA’s current forecast predicts a cumulative five-year delivery of ~79,000 new homes, which will be ~24000 dwellings short of the Accord target for the reporting region.
Headline Stats for Greater Perth:
- Total new dwellings completed up 22%
- Greenfield lot sales up 23%
- Greenfield median lot price up 34% to $329,000
- Multi-Unit sales down 12%
- Muti-Unit Completions up 11%
- Median price of new Multi-Units up 29%
- Multi-Unit construction down 9%
Download the UDIA State of the Land Report 2025.
Navigating Australia’s Economic & Political Landscape
UDIA WA were delighted to host guests at the first industry luncheon for 2025 on Friday, where Jon Berry (KPMG) and Cassandra Winzar (CEDA) provided keen insights into the factors currently shaping the geopolitical state of the world and an overview of WA’s economic context before being joined by Professor Alan Duncan (Bankwest Curtin Economic Centre) for a panel discussion.
We would like to again thank our event sponsors, Mirvac, Skyfields by Perth Airport, and CLE Town Planning + Design for their support of Friday’s event.