Perth housing target falls short by 35,000 homes

Perth’s five-year housing target will fall short by some 35,000 homes, according to Western Australia’s leading urban development authority.

The state’s housing situation was “dire”, Urban Development Institute of Australia president Richard Pappas told more than 200 WA town planners and developers from the private and public sectors on Friday.

Deputy secretary for regions, cities and territories David MacKay, AHURI managing director Michael Fotheringham, UDIA WA chief executive Tanya Steinbeck, National Growth Alliance chief executive Bronwen Clark and Hatch RobertsDay town planner Mike Day spoke on the impacts of the National Urban Policy on Perth.Credit: UDIA WA

“We currently have just 3266 properties available [in Perth] to buy, and would you believe, about 400 of those are lots of land,” he said.

“That means that right now there are just 2800 odd properties available for people to buy – if we’re selling 841 properties a week we turn over a quarter of our market.

“We all know the situation is dire, and we need to find solutions.”

These solutions are being suggested in a campaign urging 2025 state election candidates to make housing their priority.

The campaign makes several recommendations focused on actions to support immediate housing supply, including removing red tape from planning and environmental approvals, stamp duty reform, planning to support infill in existing suburbs and a freeze on new property fees, taxes and charges.

The national housing target for WA is 125,000 new homes over five years to mid-2029.

According to UDIA WA analysis, WA will be around 30,000 homes short of what is needed to meet year-on-year demand by mid-2029 and around 33,500 short of the national target.

“Much more needs to be done if we’re going to significantly move the dial across the housing continuum,” Pappas said.

“Not only do we need more supply, we need more choice from land development to medium density to high density apartments.

Rapid transport could transform how we live, says hatch RobertsDay town planner Mike Day.Credit: UDIA WA

“UDIA WA election priorities unashamedly call for supply size stimulus, as the consequences of an unaffordable market are far more severe for us all.”

Also speaking at the event, internationally recognised town planner Mike Day said adapting Perth’s existing neighbourhoods for “affordable living” versus “affordable housing” was the catalyst needed to ease cost-of-living pressures.

One of those options was to reduce dependency on car use with mid-tier transport options and better cycling and walking accessibility.

The trackless tram, a bus-tram hybrid, is currently being trialled in the City of Stirling as a way to get people from the northern train line out into and around their neighbourhood centres.

“The Australian Automobile Association says a two-car household pays about $21,000 a year in [car] running costs; that’s a mortgage,” he said.

“This latest technology, rapid transit, mid-tier transit, could be a real catalyst in terms of getting more urban and mixed development within existing neighbourhoods.

“It’s almost a myth that it’s just about affordable housing when it’s much more about affordable living.”

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