Emily Piesse

Eight months after revealing plans to build a remote operations centre at Perth Airport, iron ore giant Rio Tinto has signed a deal to lease 6,000 square metres of space at the emerging office park.

Twelve months ago, architect Jean-Mic Perrine began commercial production of his modular housing system, called the 'perrinepod'.

Diploma Properties has joined the ranks of WA developers capitalising on the demand for apartments along Rockingham's waterfront, with plans to launch a new project later this year.

A draft policy to reform the way contributions for social infrastructure are sourced from residential property developers has generated mixed responses from the industry, with submissions from the Property Council of Australia (WA) and Satterley Property

It's a matter of debate among those in the building industry as to how far construction costs will rise during the next year, but the consensus is that the double digit increases of the past few years will continue.

Property developers in Western Australia are likely to face higher costs for water connections to projects in regional areas if changes to developer contributions, put to the state government by the Economic Regulation Authority, are adopted.

The federal government has flagged changes to its skilled migration program, including the temporary 457 visa, which it says will give the states greater control in recruiting overseas workers.

High density development may be top of the state government's planning agenda, but the target for infill in Perth is overly ambitious and needs to be significantly downgraded, with the city likely to fall short 131,000 dwellings, according to a report fro

Employers should be encouraged to recruit more overseas workers as permanent migrants, rather than relying on 457 visas, and a state-based approach to migration should be adopted, according to Immigration Minister Chris Evans.