Urban and regional planners added to national core skills occupation list

LGA, in collaboration with the national local government body, has highlighted skill gaps in various occupations, with urban and regional planning consistently identified as a key area of need.

LGA Chief Executive Officer, Clinton Jury, emphasised the importance of this update in supporting housing delivery and strategic planning across the state.

"The inclusion of urban and regional planners on the Core Skills Occupation List is important to fill essential roles across a range of industries, including in local government," Clinton said.

"There’s a range of skilled professions important to housing delivery, such as planning, construction and engineering, and this update will help meet the growing demand.

“By including roles like planners on the list, councils, alongside other employers, will have the option to recruit skilled migrants through a fast-tracked visa process.”

He also highlighted the efforts made in addressing these challenges, noting South Australia's planning system is among the best in Australia.

“South Australia has a nation-leading planning system which consistently ranks exceptionally well across a range of indicators,” Clinton said.

"Despite workforce shortages, councils in South Australia consistently meet application deadlines within statutory timeframes around 90% of the time. We’ve also seen more homes being assessed through faster, compliance-based approvals.

“This is a welcome update from the federal government, which will provide much-needed relief for the planning workforce," he said.

Over the past year, LGA has undertaken several initiatives to address skill shortages in the planning sector, including:

• Co-funding the Grow Your Own program with the state government to train cadet planners in regional areas.
• Advocating for the return of a state university planning degree to increase the pipeline of local talent.
• Delivering a Building Sector Capability Project to attract and retain workers in local government.
• Collaborating on reforms to the planning system with the state government and sector to improve planning outcomes and liveability.

With an already well-performing planning system, this update to Core Skills Occupation List will further strengthen South Australia’s capacity to meet future challenges.

To access the updated Core Skills Occupation List visit the Department of Home Affairs website.