Frequently Asked Questions - Registered Planner

Here's some of the most commonly asked questions around becoming a Registered Planner. If you're still after more information, reach out to the membership team on [email protected]

Enrolment

Is there any exception to the length of experience requirement?

For enrolment into Registered Planner the member needs 5-years' planning experience. To maintain the integrity and high standard of Registered Planner the minimum requirements are non-negotiable.

For enrolment into Registered Planner + (EIA) the member needs 10-years' experience in environmental or planning practice.
In exceptional circumstances, applicants may be granted a waiver of the 10-year experience requirement, even if they have not completed a full 10 years of full-time work in environmental or planning practice. To be considered, applicants must demonstrate an equivalent level of experience and professional maturity.
To qualify as an “exceptional circumstance,” an applicant must show that they:
- Have worked in environmental or planning practice for a period slightly less than 10 years on a full-time basis; and
- Have additional experience in a separate but related field which, when combined with their environmental or planning experience, totals at least 10 years of full-time work.
All waiver applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Can I pay my enrolment fee using a payment plan?

Applicants can opt to pay the enrolment fee using a payment plan (credit card or direct debit).

The minimum payment plan is $50 per month over a 14-month period. The payment plan must be completed in full to maintain Registered Planner status.

To set up a payment plan the relevant request form must be completed and returned authorising PIA to deduct the payments.

Can I cancel my enrolment?

Applicants have a cooling off period to cancel their registration and receive a full refund of the fees paid.

A request to cancel the enrolment must be received in writing within 6 weeks of gaining access to the assessment site.

How long do I have to complete the whole Registered Planner assessment?

Applicants have 12 months to complete all aspects of the Registered Planner assessment. We strongly recommend that you upload your submissions as you complete them to ensure your submissions are marked within the 12 month timeframe.

Are there any additional costs involved?

If you successfully complete the Registered Planner assessment within the 12-month period there will be no further cost.

If a submission is marked as ‘Unsuccessful’ three times there may be an additional fee for further resubmissions.

Will I earn CPD points for completing the Registered Planner course?

Members are awarded 1 point for completing the Registered Planner Professionalism and Integrity quiz.

There are no further CPD points awarded for completion of the Registered Planner course

Assessment

How do I access and submit the assessment pieces?

All assessment components are accessed and submitted through our online assessment platform Moodle.

How long does it take to mark a submission?

Marking is done in “marking windows”. Submissions are marked in the first marking window following submission.

There are submission deadlines for each of the marking windows. The submission deadline for the marking window is COB on the 1st Friday of the month.

The marking windows are set to occur every 3 months (February, May, August, November).

What happens if my submission is marked as ‘unsuccessful’?

If a submission is marked as 'unsuccessful', the assessor feedback will be compiled and you will be asked to review and resubmit.

You will always be given the opportunity to choose a different assessment option within the same practice area.

Being marked 'unsuccessful' three times in the same practice area (initial submission plus 2 resubmissions) will result in a lock-out of that practice area for a 12-month period.

During this 12-month lockout period you are asked to gain more professional experience in the relevant practice area.

Applicants can continue to submit submissions in the other practice areas but will not be able to complete the transition to Registered Planner until all practice areas are marked as successful.

If an applicant does resubmit following the 12-month lockout period there is a remarking fee of $150 for each practice area that is affected. All practice areas that have been previously marked as successful will be recognised as being complete.

What happens if I do not successfully pass the Professionalism and Integrity Quiz?

If you do not obtain 10/10 mark twice in a row for the Professionalism and Integrity Quiz, please contact the PIA office. You may be provided with 2 further attempts. We strongly encourage you to review the Code of Conduct prior to reattempting.

Assessors

What are the requirements when selecting the Assessors?

Assessors must be Registered Planners, they are required to have a minimum of 10 years in active Planning and have an extensive background/knowledge in Urban and Regional Planning.

Who are the Assessors?

Stephanie Knox RPIA (Life Fellow) | Lead Assessor
Stephanie, a Registered Planner and Life Fellow of PIA, is a planning consultant with forty years’ experience in urban, strategic and social planning, planning education and project management. She has worked as a planner/project manager on national and international projects and in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. She was also a planning academic teaching at Southern Cross University, RMIT University and the University of Melbourne. She is a former PIA (Victoria) Committee Member, PIA National Board Member and National Chair of the Social Planning Chapter.

Tanya Burdett RPIA (Fellow)
For over 30 years Tanya has been involved in hundreds of projects in a range of sectors – urban development, energy, minerals and resources, transport, water and waste management; from site specific development applications to multi-jurisdictional national-level infrastructure programs.

As a passionate planner with a focus on impact assessment and engagement, Tanya also enjoys training and capacity building. Since 2008, Tanya has delivered over 100 IAP2 certificate programs and short courses for organisations and decision makers, training over 1000+ participants from 70+ countries. Tanya has delivered IAP2 training throughout the UK, the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines), EU (Ireland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal), Africa (Ghana, South Africa), Yemen and Kazakhstan. Other project experience includes in-country delivery of short planning courses in Mongolia for PIA and AusAID (2001).

Michael Papageorgiou RPIA (Fellow)
Michael is the Director of a Planning Consultancy based in Brisbane. He is a Registered Planner and was appointed as a PIA Fellow in 2014. Michael has over 30 years’ experience in planning, including senior roles in Queensland and Victoria. He has worked in State and Local Government organisations and in private consulting. In 2013/2014 Michael was the inaugural Planner in Residence at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Michael has been actively involved in various PIA committees and programs over many years. This has included being a member of PIA’s National Education Committee from 2015 to 2019.

David Caddy RPIA (Life Fellow)
In a career spanning over 45 years of professional planning experience and leadership, David Caddy has been committed to the industry through planning practice and planning education.
David joined the Western Australian Planning Commission as the Chairman on 16 April 2018 for a three year term which has been extended for a further 2 years. David spent 40 years working at a senior management level specialising in statutory planning, strategic and structure planning, development control, project management, policy formulation and planning advocacy. David has also founded, grown and led businesses in the industry, chaired many boards and committees, and worked with and for both the private and public sectors. David is a former WA State President of PIA, a former National Vice President and National Councillor and a Registered Planner and Life Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at UWA.

Allan Young RPIA | EIA Assessor
Allan has over 25 years’ experience in strategic and statutory planning, public policy and project management. He has held senior positions within the NSW State Government and the private sector. His work has been recognised though a Fulbright Scholarship and a Churchill Fellowship, and he has contributed to programs internationally from Timor Leste to New York City. Allan holds a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning (University of Sydney) plus specialist certificates in social impact assessment and coastal management.

Stephen O'Connor RPIA (Fellow) | EIA Assessor

Ongoing requirements

What are the ongoing requirements to maintain Registered Planner?

Registered Planners are required to complete the Professionalism and Integrity quiz on the Code of Conduct and a CPD plan every two years.

Registered Planners must also obtain a minimum of 20 CPD points per year and a minimum of 60 points over a 2-year period.

Members are also required to adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct.

What happens if I don't complete the ongoing Registered Planner requirements within the 6 week timeframe?

Registered Planners that don't complete the ongoing requirements (Professionalism and Integrity quiz on the Code of Conduct and a CPD plan) within 6 weeks of the original email invitation will be reverted back to Full Member.

Registered Planners that transitioned through the CPP streamlined pathway will have 3 months after the revert date to complete the ongoing requirements. If the requirements are not completed within the 3 month period, these members will need to proceed through the Full Member Registered Planner assessment (and complete payment) to elevate back to Registered Planner.

Registered Planners that elevated and paid through Full Member to Registered Planner assessment will remain a Full Member until the ongoing requirements are completed.

Is there any cost to maintain Registered Planner membership?

There are no ongoing costs to maintain your Registered Planner membership.

There is a one-off fee of $700 to complete the Registered Planner assessment.

What happens to my Registered Planner status if my membership lapses?

Members who completed the transition to Registered Planner through one of the Streamlined CPP pathways will have 6 months to reinstate their Registered Planner status. If the member decides to reinstate as a Registered Planner outside of this time, they will need to go through the full assessment process and pay the relevant fee.

Members who elevated to Registered Planner through the full assessment process can reinstate as a Registered Planner at any time by completing the quiz and CPD plan in line with the ongoing requirements.