Each year, PIA delivers an innovative virtual conference bringing together planners from across rural and regional Australia. The 2027 Rural, Regional & Remote (RRR) Conference will bring together professionals dedicated to shaping sustainable, thriving regional communities.
With over 400 attendees joining us virtually each day in 2026, we look forward to delivering another informative and engaging event in 2027.
Regional Momentum - Turning Opportunity into Action
Regional Australia is entering a period of unprecedented opportunity. Significant investment in housing, renewable energy, infrastructure, digital industries and economic diversification is reshaping towns and regions, while communities continue to respond to climate change, population growth, changing tourism patterns and evolving expectations of liveability, sustainability and place.
For planners, the challenge is no longer simply imagining resilient futures - it is delivering them.
The 2027 PIA Rural, Regional and Remote Conference will explore how planning can translate opportunity into lasting outcomes. Through practical leadership, innovative policy and strong partnerships, the conference will showcase the strategies, projects and collaborations that are delivering housing, supporting emerging industries, protecting environmental values, revitalising regional centres and creating more liveable, productive and resilient communities.
Building on the 2026 conference theme of Resilience, Regeneration and Regional Innovation, the 2027 conference focuses on the next step: turning ideas into action. It will highlight the critical role planners play in delivering housing and infrastructure, responding to climate change, supporting the transition to renewable energy and new technologies, strengthening regional economies and working alongside communities to shape places that are inclusive, sustainable and prosperous.
Across three conference pillars -
Deliver, Partner, Prosper - delegates will examine Australian case studies, planning reforms, collaborative approaches and practical solutions that demonstrate how planning can unlock investment, respond to emerging challenges and create enduring social, economic and environmental outcomes for regional Australia. The conference aims to foster meaningful dialogue between planners, government, First Nations communities, industry, researchers and community leaders, recognising that the best outcomes are achieved when diverse knowledge systems and lived experiences inform the planning process.