Our Impact

A snapshot of PIA’s impact on the planning profession

From professional development and mentoring to advocacy and global partnerships, the Planning Institute of Australia has supported planners tackling the biggest challenges facing our cities and regions. The figures below highlight part of this impact, drawn from reporting data available over the past two decades.

Across 75 years, the Institute’s total contribution to the profession is even greater.

150,000+ attendees

since 2014

have connected across Australia through conferences, webinars, training and professional forums delivered by PIA.

12,000+ hours

of professional development has been delivered since 2011.

That's the equivalent of over 500 days, or nearly 1.5 years of continuous education!

 

 We wouldn't be here, 75 years on, if it weren't for our dedicated and passionate volunteers.

936 volunteers in one year

 

In 2024 - 25, a record number of PIA members contributed their time and expertise through committees, mentoring programs and professional initiatives, helping shape policy, support emerging planners and strengthen the planning profession across Australia.

2,000+ mentoring pairs

 

have been connected through PIA’s mentoring programs where experienced planners have supported students and early-career professionals, helping build the skills, confidence and networks that strengthen the future of the profession.

2,000+ advocacy engagements

since 2005 alone

PIA has contributed to government decision-making through thousands of submissions, consultations and direct meetings with policymakers, helping ensure planning expertise informs national debates on housing, climate and sustainable growth.

John Brockhoff RPIA (Fellow), Matt Collins MPIA, Professor Barbara Norman RPIA (Life Fellow), Emma Riley RPIA (Fellow), and Nicole Bennetts RPIA at Parliament House in 2025 for the reintroduction of the Parliamentary Friends of Urban Design. 

Artwork by Jade Holland, Sketch and Story.

Planning with Country

In 2019, PIA reaffirmed its support for Indigenous recognition, guided by the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

In 2021, the Institute established the Planning with Country Knowledge Circle, bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous built and natural environment leaders to guide PIA’s whole-of-organisation response to reconciliation.

In 2023, PIA publicly supported Yes to The Voice.

In 2025, PIA launched its Planning with Country Resource Library. 

PIA’s social media community of more than

 53,414 followers

on our main company profiles helps amplify planning conversations, advocacy and professional insights beyond conferences, events and workplaces.

 

40 years celebrating Planning Excellence

The PIA Awards for Planning Excellence began in Queensland in 1986 and have since grown into a national program recognising outstanding planning projects and leadership.

 

 

 

485 Fellows, Life Fellows and Honorary Fellows

as of March 2026

Life Fellow Elevation for Doug Wallace MPIA (Life Fellow), 2017.

NSW Fellows receiving their pins, 2015.

Through the Planning Matters campaign

in the mid 2010s, PIA highlighted the essential role of planning in tackling Australia’s biggest challenges from housing supply to climate resilience.

Snapshot at the communications plan of the Planning Matters campaign.

In 2020 PIA declared a climate emergency 

recognising the urgent role planners must play in responding to climate change and building resilient communities.The declaration positioned planning as a key profession in addressing climate risk, supporting net-zero outcomes and shaping climate-ready cities.

A global profession

Through partnerships with organisations such as the Commonwealth Association of Planners, PIA has connected Australian planners with international networks and expertise. This includes strong relationships with the likes of the New Zealand Planning Institute, American Planning Institute, Royal Town Planning Institute, and the Canadian Institute of Planners. Over the years, PIA has collaborated with institutes such as the Bangladesh Institute of Planners and the Institute of Town Planners Sri Lanka, participating in international planning dialogues that strengthen professional exchange and shared practice across the Asia‑Pacific and the world.

 

PIA's Post-Tsunami Reconstruction Planning Support project helped to strengthen physical planning in tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka.

PIA VIC Planning for Excellence Award winners, 2014.

PIA has led national discussions on PlanTech

exploring how digital innovation and technology are transforming planning systems and practice, and ensuring the profession is well equipped for the future.

 

The Planners in Australia: State of the Profession report

launched in 2023 and mapped the profession across the country. It provided vital insights that has guided PIA’s advocacy and efforts to address the national shortage of planners.

Martin Amy MPIA at Trinity Grammar School, NSW, promoting Become A Planner.

Inspiring the next generation

The Become a Planner campaign launched in 2024 to encourage students and young people to explore careers in planning and support the future workforce.

About the Data

Many of these figures are based on reporting data available from around 2005 onwards, when consistent digitised national tracking began. They represent only a portion of PIA’s contribution over 75 years, highlighting the scale of activity, collaboration and impact delivered by planners across Australia.