I am a rare training provider with both in-depth statutory planning expertise and experience in education. I can therefore deliver advanced and highly focussed training for professional planners.
While I provide training for a wide range of groups, I am especially committed to training for local government planners. My long history working in and for councils means I approach such training with a strong sense of the particular needs of local government decision-makers and policy-setters.
My approach to training is based upon the following principles:
- Training needs to be kept short and focussed. Overly long training sessions waste valuable staff time and lead to poor learning outcomes.
- Training needs to be carefully tailored based on an understanding of the needs and pre-existing knowledge of your group.
- Your staff are already planning experts. It is vital that they are trained by people who understand their existing level of knowledge and can extend it.
- The most effective training is closely planned with managers to allow opportunity for follow-up discussion about how that knowledge can be applied at the individual workplace.
- Training should be planned to allow input from your in-house leaders;
- A good training session starts conversations which continue in the workplace after the session is complete.
I am happy to discuss your workplaces’ needs and develop content in the statutory planning field that meets your requirements.
Stephen was probably one of the few presenters that I have liked, very friendly and clear with his presentation. And funny!
Staff feedback from council ResCode training
Existing Sessions
The following are sessions and presentations that I have already prepared, but this is not an exhaustive list of the content I can cover. Please feel free to contact me if there is an area you would like me to cover with your staff.
Timeframes given are indicative and can generally be adjusted. They are designed to allow for some discussion and sharing of your own staff’s experiences rather than just hearing from me.
ResCode: Using it Right
Covering ResCode and how to use it well, including the shifting landscape of “deemed-to-comply” Standards.
Aimed at local government statutory planners. Suggested time: developed as a pair of three-hour sessions, but could be shortened and targeted based on your needs.
Drafting Planning Permits and Refusals
A session covering the basics of good planning permit drafting, as well as the less-often covered topic of preparing a good refusal.
Aimed at all statutory planners, but particularly those in their first five or so years. Suggested time: two hours.
VCAT: Tips from the Trenches
My tips as a reluctant but frequent VCAT participant over 25 years. I talk about tips for presenting, the challenges of presenting planning as a planner in a pseudo-legal setting, and the particular challenges of presenting cases for local government. Ideally this session should also draw from the thoughts of more senior staff who have experience presenting at VCAT.
Aimed at local government statutory planners, although happy to discuss versions for other audiences. Suggested time: two hours.
Good Decision-making
A reflection on the particular challenges of making good decisions in the Victorian system, where sometimes it feels as if any position is arguable. I examine the issues this raises for decision-makers, and suggest strategies for decision-makers to audit their own thinking.
Aimed at local government statutory planners, although I also encourage strategic planners to attend as how decisions are made is highly relevant to how policy should be written. Suggested time: 90 minutes (with discussion) or a streamlined 60 minutes.
Integrity in Planning – Lessons from Sandon
Based on a session I presented at the VPELA conference in 2023, this discusses the issue of integrity in planning, in light of the findings of IBAC’s Operation Sandon enquiry. It looks at the implications for decision-makers and policy-makers and examines the particular challenges of maintaining integrity within the Victorian system.
Aimed at all Victorian planners, with tailored versions for both public and private sector workplaces. Suggested time: one hour.
Victorian Planning: Why Doesn’t it Work?
A reflective session exploring why multiple rounds of system review have made such limited progress. I suggest alternative approaches to structuring and writing planning controls that can help the Victorian system deliver on its potential.
Aimed at all Victorian planners, including statutory and strategic. Suggested time: 90 minutes.
Victorian Planning for Councillors
A session aimed at new and existing councillors. For new councillors, it covers the basics of the system and their role in it. However, of interest to all councillors, the session covers the particualr challenges for councillors and participative democracy created by our planning system.
Aimed at councillors. Can be a one or two-hour session, and modified according to the knowledge of a given councillor group.