Building better communities panel session

PANEL SESSION

Building better communities: Insights from regional planning leaders

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring senior representatives from various regional councils across Australia. Delve into a diverse range of national perspectives as we navigate the pressing issues shaping contemporary land use planning and hear about the big ideas being used to tackle them. From addressing housing shortages to tackling the scarcity of planners, and from confronting the challenges of climate change to embracing the transformative potential of AI technology, our panellists will offer practical examples and insights. This session promises to be a dynamic exchange of ideas essential for shaping the landscape of land use planning on a local and national scale.

Featuring:

Cat Matson
CEO & Lead Facilitator, Impactful Presenters

Cat Matson is the CEO and Lead Facilitator of Impactful Presenters, empowering business owners and community leaders to speak with confidence, authority, authenticity and impact. A popular and accomplished Speaker, MC and Moderator, Cat is known for her straight-talking, 'realness' and extracting 'the juice' from her clients.

Cat describes herself as a 'Mistress-of-all-Trades' having worked in both the private and public sectors, in small and large business and in virtually every industry. She has advised Mayors and CEOs; developed city-shaping strategies; interviewed extraordinary industry leaders from social enterprise to deep tech and everything in between; and helped small business owners understand how to capitalise on the trends of digital transformation and innovation.

She is the host of the Speaking with Confidence with Cat Matson podcast, likes to 'work out loud' so others can learn from her experiences, enjoys her coffees strong and black and her martinis stirred and dirty.

Gary Barbour PIA (Assoc.)
Director - Community Planning, City of Busselton

Gary Barbour is the Director Community Planning at the City of Busselton, located in one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. A passionate advocate for regional development, Gary has over 15 years of experience in regional planning in both private practice and local government. With a background in environmental science and a Masters in Sustainability, his planning interests are a diverse mix including urban rejuvenation, town centre activation, transport planning, economic development, growth management and housing policy. Gary believes in a participatory planning approach to create, enhance and sustain the places that make the regions special.

Shannon Burt RPIA
Director Sustainable Environment & Economy , Byron Shire Council

Shannon is the Director of Sustainable Environment and Economy at Byron Shire Council. Her portfolio takes in the complex and contentious areas of land use and place planning, development assessment, biodiversity, sustainability, coastal management, economy, events and tourism development and community enforcement.

With over 30 years of experience, Shannon brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. She is known for her ability to think outside the norm, and is driven to seek innovative solutions to complex problems in the Byron Shire such as housing availability and affordability and management of short-term holiday rentals.

Shannon is passionate about local government, and the role that planners and their communities can play to support local solutions to local problems.

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