Universal Constructions Wins $24.5m Piara Waters Primary School Build; 14 Classrooms Due Late 2028
Piara Waters Primary School upgrade: Universal Constructions wins the $24.5m tender for a 14-classroom block due late 2028. What it means for Perth trades.
Universal Constructions Pty Ltd has won the $24.5 million construction tender for Piara Waters Primary School in Perth's south east, the WA Government said on 7 November 2026. The job is a new double-storey building with 14 general classrooms, and it is due to finish in late 2028.
What will the Piara Waters Primary School upgrade build?
The $24.5 million contract covers one new double-storey block and the car park that serves it. Inside the block are two kindergarten and pre-primary rooms, 14 general classrooms and a science room. The school currently relies on transportable classrooms, and the statement says those will be taken off site once the new building is in use.
The government expects the work to be complete in late 2028. That gives Universal Constructions roughly two years on site, assuming an early start. T&Z Architects handled the design.
Education Minister Sabine Winton said the upgrades for "Piara Waters students, staff, and families have reached the next phase of delivery." Oakford MLA Yaz Mubarakai said Piara Waters is a growing community and its schools need facilities that keep pace with that growth.
Why is the school growing?
Piara Waters is a south-eastern suburb of Perth, and the statement attributes the project to more families choosing to live there. The upgrade is meant to lift the school's capacity so it can absorb enrolment growth without adding more transportables.
The project is one line in the state's $6.4 billion education infrastructure program, which the government describes as a record investment. Other school works announced this week include a tender for a new undercover area at Rosalie Primary School, published on 6 November.
What does the contract mean for Perth construction workers?
The statement names the builder and the architect but does not say how many tradespeople the project will employ. Any hiring by Universal Constructions or its subcontractors will show up in job ads, not in the ministerial statement.
Perth-based construction ads are scarce right now. Of the 37 live direct trade and construction ads in Perth on 7 November, 20 of the 36 newest were FIFO roles. Mineral Resources posted 15 of those 36 and Fortescue 4. Only 2 of the 36 quoted an annual salary, with a median midpoint of $110,250.
| Live Perth ad (7 Nov 2026) | Employer | Location | Pay stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall and Ceiling Supervisor | Scott Park Group | South Perth | No |
| Apprentice Glazier | Scott Park Group | Canning Vale | No |
| Boilermaker/Welder | Australian Ceramics Engineering | Canning Vale | No |
| Team Lead, Construction | Brunel | Perth CBD | No |
| Lecturer, Building and Construction | North Metropolitan TAFE | Balga | $96,229 to $124,271 |
We looked at the FIFO skew in more detail in our trade jobs report on 6 November, when 21 of 37 newest ads were FIFO.
What does it mean for teachers in Perth's south east?
A 14-classroom block implies more teaching and support staff once it opens, but the Department of Education fills those roles through its own recruitment, and the statement does not give a number. Jobs In Perth listed 170 live direct teaching ads in Perth on 7 November, down from 193 on 6 November. The Department of Education posted 34 of the 50 newest.
Pay is unusually visible in this sector. Of the 50 newest teaching ads, 40 quoted a salary, with a median midpoint of about $108,000. Classroom teacher roles advertised $88,178 to $127,737 a year. Nearby examples included a numeracy intervention teacher at Gosnells closing on 16 November, a head of humanities at South Lake advertised at $141,551 to $154,896, and a special needs education assistant at South Lake paying $39.78 to $41.37 an hour.
Of those 50 newest ads, 21 were full time, 20 part time and 9 fixed term. Nineteen close within seven days. See our teacher salary guide for the Department of Education pay bands.
How we reported this
- Project scope, contract value, builder, architect, completion date and quotes come from the WA Government media statement published on 7 November 2026.
- Jobs In Perth feed figures observed on 7 November 2026 (direct-from-employer ads only). These are advertised vacancies, not people employed. Stats other than the live count cover the newest ads returned, up to 50.
- The statement gives no construction or teaching job numbers. None are implied here.
- Cover image: AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the event.
Sources
About this reporting
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