On Wednesday, 19 March 2014, Planning and Infrastructure hosted a culture change workshop. It was the first in what will be a series of workshops and conversations across the State with all stakeholder groups about what culture change means to planning in NSW and what is underway to shift culture to do planning better in the State. Here is a record of the day.

1. Doing planning
better together
19 March 2014 • Sydney
“This is about building communities and delivering housing,
jobs and infrastructure to the people of NSW.”

2. Contents
2
• Participants 3
• Our purpose 4
• Introduction 5-6
• Journey of the event 7
• Our vision 8-9
• W hat gets in the
way of our success? 10
• Lunch and learn 11
• Cultural change:
It’s possible 13
– Future Cities 14
– Hornsby Council 15
– Port Stephens Council 16
– Sydney Trains 17
– Sydney Water 18
– Oran Park 19
– Planning & Infrastructure 20
• Chatroom debrief 21
• Making it happen 22
– The future we want to create 23
– Development of leaders in
the planning sector 24
– Collaboration 25
– Local Government (Metro) 26
– Local Government (Regional) 27
– Planning and Infrastructure 28
– State agencies (Non P&I) 29
– Private sector 30
– Stakeholder communications
and engagement 31
• W hat’s next 32
• Music playlist 33
• Photos 34-35

3. Participants
Alan Bright
Alan Stoneham
Amelia Jalland
Andrew Crakanthorp
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Murray
Andy Inch
Annalisa Haskell
Arthur Kyron
Ashley Albury
Azmeena Kelly
Brad Hazzard
Brendan O'Brien
Brett W hitworth
Carol Lewis
Caroline Perkins
Carolyn McNally
Catherine Labbate
Cheramie Marsden
Chris Chapman
Chris Johnson
Chris W ilson
Christina Livers
Clare Roberts
Daniel Keary
David Broyd
David Rowland
Diane Cuthbert
Elizabeth Kinkade
Evelyn Ivinson
Fiona Leyden
Frier Bentley
Glenn Byres
Halvard Dalheim
Harry Quartermain
Heather Miles
Helen Campbell
Helen Jackson
Jackie Kruger
Jacky W ilkes
Jane Partridge
Jenny Dennis
Jill Reich
Juliet Grant
Karen Jones
Karin Bishop
Keith Baxter
Ken Kanofski
Kerry Robinson
Kylie Powell
Lucinda Rigby
Luke Johnson
Mark Ferguson
Mark Perich
Melissa Watkins
Michael Keys
Michael Mason
Monica Collins
Natasha Highman
Neil McGaffin
Paul Anderson
Paul Freeman
Paul Tosi
Peter Gesling
Peter Naidovski
Rachel Cumming
Richard Pearson
Roberta Ryan
Ron Moore
Sam Haddad
Sandy Burgoyne
Sarah Hill
Scott Phillips
Sean O'Toole
Shaun McBride
Simon Bennett
Simon Pinnegar
Stephen Driscoll
Stephen McIntyre
Stephen McMahon
Steve Murray
Steven Head
Sue Weatherley
Tim Blythe
Tim Fletcher
Tim Hurst
Tony Farrell
Trish Oakley
Vincent Connell
The Culture Change W orking Group that co-designed the event selected participants using the philosophy that change starts
within. W e believed a good place to start on a sector -wide change program would be with the practitioners and regulators of the
planning system.
The local government general managers and planning directors, industry representatives, peak planning associations, state
government agencies and Planning & Infrastructure leaders there on the day were:
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4. Our Purpose
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Doing planning better together
The event brought us together to tackle a
challenge that can only be addressed collectively
– how do we improve the way we work as a
sector to create better outcomes for each other
and the community?
Together, we aimed to:
• align around what success looks like to do
planning better in NSW
• share our learning and experiences of culture
change so far
• co-design the way forward and develop next
steps.
The event built upon a body of work that had
already begun by the Culture Change W orking
Group, established in October 2013. It was
intended to act as a catalyst for a group of
individuals – who were already passionate about
changing the way we do things – to connect with
one another and co-design the journey ahead.
4
On 19 March 2014, 90 people from
across the planning sector in NSW came
together to accelerate our culture
change journey. The participants
represented a range of organisations
across the planning sector in NSW ,
including local government general
managers and planners, Sydney Trains,
Sydney W ater, Office of Environment and
Heritage, Planning and Infrastructure,
professional bodies and developers.

5. Introduction
Doing Planning Bette Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
5
“The sector is at an inflection point where
we can either get on the upward curve and
work together to build for the future or
eventually go into decline. Today is about
exploring what we need to do to ensure
we get on the upward curve.”
Sam Haddad, Director-General, Planning & Infrastructure
“Cultural change is critical because it
can enable us to make a difference to
people’s lives and the community.”
Sam Haddad, Director-General, Planning & Infrastructure

6. Doing Planning Better…Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
6
Address by The Hon. Brad Hazzard,
Minister for Planning & Infrastructure:
“We are trying to provide better
communities, better jobs, and better
housing. That is, in essence, what it’s all
about.”
“Planning is absolutely essential for NSW
and I know that, as a collective, we can
make a difference.”
“If we don’t take a chance, we won’t get it
right”
Introduction
Listening isn’t
waiting for your
turn to talk
-MG Taylor axiom

7. Journey of the event
Introduction
W e were welcomed by Sam Haddad (Director-General), and Jill Reich
(Deputy Director-General – People, Business and Culture) from Planning &
Infrastructure.
W in as much as you can
W e played a game to explore the nature of winning collectively vs. winning as
individual organisations.
The planning sector we aspire to be
The Hon. Brad Hazzard, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure reflected on
the importance of culture change. W e aligned around what success would
look like for the planning sector in 2019, describing the elements of the
system we hope to create.
W hat makes it hard?
To build greater understanding of the many different experiences of the
planning system, we explored what makes it hard to achieve success from
different stakeholder vantage points.
Lunch and learn: lessons from the UK
Over lunch, Andy Inch from the University of Sheffield shared key insights and
experiences of driving culture in the planning sector in the UK.
Chatrooms: it’s possible!
W e had the opportunity to learn about seven different examples of cultural
transformation in the planning sector in NSW , gaining inspiration and
insights about experiences, successes and challenges.
Making it happen
In the final round, we divided into groups to develop a plan of action. W e
identified what we are committed to doing to drive culture change process.
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
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8. The planning sector includes many different
organisations and individuals with different ideas
about what success looks like. To change the
culture of the sector to enable better outcomes,
we first need to align around what we think
success looks like. We need to design this vision
together.
We began with a working vision that had been developed
by the Culture Change Working Group. This working vision
was
connected to seven draft characteristics describing the
kind of planning sector we hope for - a sector known for:
• accountability
• innovation,
• consistency
• efficiency
We divided up into groups that considered each of these
elements of the system and what they mean for us,
describing what we want the planning sector to be in
2019.
By the end of the session, we had begun to rework both
the vision and elements explored in the morning.
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
8
Our working vision
What kind of planning sector do we want to be in future?
• trust
• balance
• transparency

9. Our vision in progress
W hat we learnt
Defining a simple vision for the sector that we can all relate to
and feel ownership of is important. It will help us communicate
clear objectives, focus our efforts, and guide the way we behave,
work together and get stuff done.
But it’s not easy… planning is a complex system involving different
organisations with different objectives, customers and priorities.
The vision is still a work in progress. Although we’re not there yet,
we have made a positive start. W e will keep working with different
groups across the sector to refine it in the coming months.
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
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10. What gets in the way of our success?
To build greater understanding of our different experiences of the planning system, we
explored what makes it hard to achieve success from different stakeholder vantage points.
Role plays helped us to communicate our messages with humour, but provided deep
insights into the cultural challenges we face as a sector.
Some of the key themes that emerged include:
• Collaboration across the sector is key to better outcomes – but it’s hard
• We need clarity of our roles within the sector and how they work together
• Our voices aren’t always heard – we need to make time to listen to one another
• We need to get better at the way we communicate and engage with each other and
the community
• There are bottlenecks in our system we need to fix
• Bureaucratic processes often get in the way of outcomes
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
To argue with
someone’s
experience is a waste
of time.
– MG Taylor axiom
10

11. Lunch and learn
Over lunch, Andy Inch from the University of Sheffield shared key insights and experiences of what drives culture in the
planning sector in the UK.
Doing Planning Better…Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Andy Inch shares lessons from the UK
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WHAT FAILS
WHEN WE
SUCCEED?
HOW DO WE
MEASURE
WHAT
MATTERS?
WHAT DOES
THIS LEVER
DO?
WHAT IS THE
PROBLEM?

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Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney

13. Lessons from culture change experiences in NSW
Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
13
CULTURE CHANGE:
IT’S POSSIBLE!

14. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Future Cities
Presenters: Sally Betts and Emily Scott
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15. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Hornsby Council
Presenter: Scott Phillips
15

16. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Port Stephens Council
16
Presenter: Peter Gesling

17. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Sydney Trains
Presenter: Andrew Kendall
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18. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Sydney Water
Presenter: Paul Freeman
18

19. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Oran Park
Presenters: Mark Perich and Kylie Powell
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20. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Planning & Infrastructure:
Our Culture Journey
Presenters: Jill Reich and Helen Jackson
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21. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2041 • Sydney
Chatroom Debrief
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22. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
22
MAKING IT HAPPEN
How do we drive this forward?

23. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
The Future We Want to Create
23

24. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Development of leaders in the
planning sector
24

25. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Collaboration
25

26. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Local Government (Metro)
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27. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Local Government (Regional)
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28. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Planning & Infrastructure
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Support local government
with the Planning Advisory
Service and education
programs
Hello

29. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
State Agencies (non-P&I)
29

30. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Private Sector
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31. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
Stakeholder Comms and Engagement
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32. Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney
What Next
How do we drive this forward?
W hat role will you play in
driving culture change?
We are embarking on an
ambitious journey to change the
culture of the NSW planning
sector. We all have a part to play
in designing the way forward, and
hope to build a collaborative
network of change agents across
the sector.
Remember… Culture starts with me!
Next steps
It’s up to you – so make it happen! Start to consider what
you can do, what messages you can share from the
workshop, and how you could start behaving differently.
Follow through on any of the actions you signed up for at
the workshop.
Join us on 28 March. A follow up working session will be
held with the Culture Change Working Group and anyone
who volunteered on the 19 th March. We will create the
next iteration of this work and continue to refine the
vision and journey ahead.
Engage with stakeholders to invite input, refine the work
we’ve done and build momentum for culture change
across NSW.
Communicate! We will keep you informed about our
progress on 28 March if you can’t make it, and let you
know about future opportunities to contribute.
Become an advocate for change. Share your experience
with others, and help spread the word about what we’re
trying to do together.
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Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney

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Doing Planning Better Together • 19 March 2014 • Sydney