That’s a wrap on 2020.
The UDIA Victoria team will be taking a break to enjoy a COVID Normal festive season. Today, Friday 18 December 2020 is our last working day of the year and we will re-open Monday 11 January 2021.
Thank you for your support and engagement throughout 2020. What a year!
We wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe 2021.
Improving the timeliness of electricity connections 2020: Proposed connection customer service standards.
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has received proposed customer service standards for negotiated greenfield electricity connections from each distribution business.
The ESC will be seeking feedback early in the new year, and is particularly interested in the effectiveness of the engagement process, and whether the standards address the issues that are important to our industry.
Read the proposed connection customer service standards.
Draft Urban Stormwater Management Guidance.
UDIA Victoria has lodged our submission to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on the preparation of the draft Urban Stormwater Management Guidance (Publication 1739).
In our submission, we have congratulated the EPA on the guidance package, which is a valuable and welcome addition to the state of knowledge around stormwater management and potential risk.
Our submission provides meaningful feedback on the guidance, particularly focused on interpretation and implementation considerations, bearing in mind potential implications on land development and housing affordability.
Summer reading: Urban Connections.
For your summer reading, we bring you the UDIA Urban Connections digital magazine – a collection of member contributions exploring the ideas and topics most relevant to our industry through 2020.
This magazine gives you a glimpse into how different people across our industry have navigated through 2020; to give you a moment to reflect and celebrate the resilience you have shown; and to open the door for you to reach out and connect with others as we move into this next stage of ‘COVID Normal’.
Access your copy of Urban Connections now!
Big Housing opportunities: Connecting with the community housing sector.
The Victorian Government’s recently announced $5.3b Big Housing Build program will bring significant opportunities for developers to partner with community housing organisations to deliver 4,200 social housing properties over the next four years.
For many developers, this may be their first interaction with the community housing industry. UDIA Victoria is proud to be partnering with the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) VIC to bring our members networking and educational opportunities focused on the BHB opportunities.
Keep your eyes out for more information in the new year, but in the meantime, CHIA Vic has provided some preliminary information and fact sheets explaining the sector’s business model and what housing organisations will be seeking in development partners.
Valuation of land holdings.
Revenue ruling DA-060v2 on the valuation of land holdings has been published following public consultation. It replaces DA-060, which has been archived but remains available on the SRO website.
The revised ruling:
- includes a change to the legislative definition of ‘land holding’, and
- provides guidance on when the Commissioner will consider the written down book value of fixtures in the absence of formal valuation evidence.
National: State of the Nation’s Housing 2020 report.
The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation has released its first annual State of the Nation’s Housing 2020 report, detailing the five-year forecast for housing supply, demand and affordability.
The headline conclusion of the report is that affordability will continue to decline in the long-term without a serious and sustained injection of supply.
UDIA National is using the report to bolster its calls for a coordinated response from governments that targets the regulatory and tax barriers to boosting housing supply.
Industry appointments.
After six years as Chief Executive Officer of UDIA Victoria, Danni Hunter is moving on to a new challenge. In 2021, Danni will be taking up the role of Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. We wish Danni all the best for her new role, and we thank her for her hard work and dedication to our members over the past six years.
Danni is leaving UDIA Victoria in the capable hands of Angela Gaedke who will take up the role of Acting CEO while a recruitment process is undertaken by the Board in January 2021.
Click here to read an outgoing CEO message from Danni Hunter.
Gary Dunne has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of RPM Real Estate Group.
Gary has deep leadership and managerial experience in listed and private businesses from within B2B and B2C retail, property, wholesale and commercial operations in Australia.
