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Tweed Shire Council’s planning team has taken top honours at the prestigious 2022 NSW Awards for Planning Excellence, receiving the President’s Award and a Commendation in the Planning for Country category.
The awards – announced at the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) gala event in Sydney last Thursday – were received in recognition of the launch earlier this year of Council’s inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Town Planner Development Program.
Inspired by Melbourne-based Indigenous architect Jefa Greenaway, the program was developed in collaboration with Griffith University and the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council and aims to increase the number of First Nations town planners in the Tweed and ultimately, Australia.
Under the program, successful First Nations students studying town planning at Griffith University are awarded a scholarship towards their tuition, as well as paid work experience equivalent to one day a week during their studies in Council’s planning division.
Council’s Planning Director Vince Connell said he was delighted with the recognition for the program, which recently saw the first successful applicant start work at Council.
“We are thrilled to receive the PIA NSW President’s Award which is judged across all of the awards entries, a huge achievement taking into account the high standard of other winning categories,” Mr Connell said.
“I was approached by so many people on the night who were interested in our program and I look forward to seeing this exciting initiative flourish in the months and years to come.”
Mr Connell said this unique, collaborative development program was fully funded, culturally appropriate, sensitive to work/study balance, and offered educational, workplace and cultural trainee support.
“We hope the program serves as a model for other organisations to broaden the representation of Indigenous people in town planning and allied professions and which will ultimately lead to greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and employment outcomes,” he said.
“This should also result in a more diverse town planning profession that can help lead culturally sensitive planning outcomes in Australia.
“Patience, respect, adaptability, flexibility and willingness to play the long game are the critical aspects of the initial success of this program.”
The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) is the peak national body representing town planning and the planning profession in Australia and represents approximately 5,000 members nationally and internationally.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Town Planner Career Development Program is supported by Griffith University’s GUMURRII Student Success Unit and the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council.
For more information, visit tweed.nsw.gov.au/town-planner-program.
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