13 July 2025
The Planning Institute of Australia has rejected claims by YIMBY Melbourne that there are too many planners, saying good planning is essential to addressing issues like Australia’s housing crisis.
“Suggesting there is no planner shortage ignores the evidence, including the findings of Jobs and Skills Australia, the government’s own independent workforce advisory body,” said Nicole Bennetts, Head of Advocacy at the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).
“Like most Australians, planners want to see more homes built in well-located communities and that requires good planning to ensure housing is supported by infrastructure, services, jobs and green space,” she said.
“Planners also want to see better planning systems, where long-term strategic planning sets clear, upfront rules so assessment processes can be simpler and faster,” she said.
“We need a stronger focus on building community support for more homes in well-located areas and opposing political interference that blocks projects that are consistent with planning schemes.”
Ms Bennetts said planning efforts to enable more housing often faced political and community resistance, while many approved projects were stalled due to feasibility constraints.
“There are years’ worth of housing with planning approvals, but many projects are not being built by developers due to feasibility issues, including rising costs, labour shortages, and market conditions.”
Recent analysis of existing planning approvals shows:
Ms Bennetts said Australia’s housing system has changed significantly over the past few decades, increasing the need for skilled planners to enable more homes in well-planned communities.
“In 1986, most new homes were detached houses in greenfield areas. Today, more than a third are higher-density developments such as apartments, which require more complex assessment of issues like transport, design quality, and infrastructure,” she said.
“At the same time, governments have tasked planning systems with new responsibilities, including managing flood and bushfire risk, better planning for transport and community infrastructure, and protecting environmentally sensitive land.”
“If we want better planning, we need more planners. And if we want more housing, we need to address the broader economic and policy barriers that are affecting feasibility and holding the development of new homes back.”