Navigating Change – Staying Focused on Delivery
Over the past month, we’ve seen a continuation of strong activity across our businesses, building on what was a standout February where our sales team achieved record volumes. However, the past four weeks have also reminded us how quickly external conditions can shift both globally and closer to home.
Ongoing global geopolitical conflict continues to weigh on markets, and clearly we are not immune to the adverse impacts of disruption to global fuel supplies. This has already begun to flow through to higher fuel costs, persistent inflationary pressures and renewed uncertainty around interest rates.
While these pressures are real, our projects remain well-positioned, with key risks actively managed through proactive contractor engagement and disciplined delivery planning.
Yesterday’s Federal government announcement of a three-month, 50% reduction in the $0.526 fuel excise, along with a cut to the heavy vehicle road user charge, is certainly a step in the right direction in supporting both households and businesses significantly impacted by the steep rise in fuel costs. Additionally, the State government is proactively looking for opportunities to support measures that speed up the supply of housing and we are encouraged to see this occurring across both greenfield and built form.
Encouragingly, with the very strong take up of the final 28 lots of land in Champion Lakes this past weekend, Perth continues to demonstrate relative resilience, underpinned by strong population growth, tight housing supply and a fundamentally undersupplied rental market.
Cyclone Narelle and the Exmouth community
More immediately, last week’s Tropical Cyclone Narelle had a devastating impact on Exmouth following a direct hit in the early hours of Friday morning.
Through our long-term ownership of Ray White Exmouth alongside Mark Lucas, along with significant developments recently completed and currently underway, we are deeply connected to the local community. Over the past few days, our thoughts have been firmly with our team on the ground, their families, and the broader Exmouth community as they navigate the aftermath of this event.
The impact has been significant, with damage to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure affecting day-to-day life across the town. We are incredibly proud of Mark, Darren, Cath and the broader Ray White Exmouth and Exmouth Holidays teams for the way they have supported each other, their clients and the wider community during this time.
Whilst many would have seen the confronting images coming out of Exmouth and surrounding areas, the timing could not be worse. The Easter school holidays, typically the town’s busiest period, have effectively been lost for 2026. This will have a profound impact on small businesses and the many families whose livelihoods are tied to tourism and associated services.
While the events of the past month have been significant, it is important to maintain perspective. Celsius has a strong track record of delivering projects in volatile markets.
As we move into the coming months, we remain cautiously optimistic across both the Perth and Exmouth markets. Strong underlying fundamentals continue to support both regions, and while global uncertainty may create short-term volatility, the long-term outlook remains sound.
Our commitment to our clients remains unchanged, to work diligently, methodically, and with a long-term focus to deliver great diverse housing solutions.
If you have any questions about how recent events may impact your property or investments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.
All the best
Richard