Matt Collins - Politics + Planning & an update on PIA Qld

Matt Collins is a highly skilled and experienced planning leader with a background in political studies and journalism. He is currently the QLD and NT State Manager for the Planning Institute of Australia.

In this week's episode, I ask Matt about politics and planning. We also discuss what the Planning Institute's priorities are.

Matt has significant experience in leadership, planning, policy and government. Prior to commencing with PIA, he was General Manager of the Queensland Government’s Cities Transformation Taskforce, where he led the state’s strategic cities agenda, including in relation to City Deals. He has also consulted for a range of major firms on planning, infrastructure and city-making, and has been a senior advisor to Ministers in the Queensland Government. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a degree in journalism and public policy.

In this episode, we discuss:

1. his perspective about how to navigate politics as a planner, in an ethical and positive manner
2. how politics and planning influences community trust
3. what planners can do to improve the community’s trust in the planning system
4. the role that PIA is playing to advance better planning, particularly in QLD