26 January 2020
Dy Currie, a long-time champion of the importance of good planning in shaping Australia’s future has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours list.
Also appointed an AM was the late Eric Lumsden, whose career in planning and government in Western Australia spanned nearly 50 years.
Mr Lumsden, described by all who knew him as a passionate planner, a devoted public servant and a man dedicated to his craft, died last December after a long battle with cancer. His Australia Day Award citation reads: "For significant service to public administration, and to planning".
Ms Currie was recognised for her “distinguished service to the town planning profession and local government”.
She is the Chief Planner of the Brisbane City Council – Australia’s largest local government authority – and as well as this volunteers her time and expertise in other capacities, notably as president of the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP).
Ms Currie is also co-chair of the UN-Habitat Stakeholder Advisory Group, the United Nation’s agency for human settlements which promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
David Williams, the Chief Executive Officer of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), said Ms Currie symbolises the planning profession’s passion and desire to improve the quality of Australia’s neighbourhoods, towns and cities.
“Her dedication to the goal of applying quality urban design to improve liveability is as enduring as it is inspiring.
“Through her leadership and mentoring of young planners, Dy is known throughout the profession – and it’s no exaggeration to say her track record in enhancing Queensland communities is unmatched,” Mr Williams said.
"Mr Lumsden enjoyed a similar reputation in WA, and we're saddened he died before being able to accept this award personally."
Ms Currie, a graduate of James Cook university, began her career in local government in North Queensland in the early 1990s, spending more than a decade with the Toowoomba Regional Council in Queensland’s Darling Downs and the City of Gold Coast Council.
In early 2018, Dy became Chief Planner at the Brisbane City Council, where she leads the development and delivery of strategic planning outcomes for Council's New World City agenda and maintains overall accountability for Council's Economic Development portfolio.
An active PIA member since before her graduation, Dy has served in several volunteering and leadership roles. She was president of the Institute’s Queensland Division before being elected PIA’s national president in 2011.
Dy’s term as national president led to her voluntary role in international planning with the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP).
As president of CAP, Dyan represents over 40,000 planners throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, and she has been heavily involved in a range of significant Commonwealth and global meetings and events.
These have included Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) and World Urban Forums. At forum meetings in Naples and Kuala Lumpur, Dy was a participant in sessions on topics including rapid urbanisation, climate change, urban governance and good planning.
She also was an expert panel member at the United Nations Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016.
In her work at the Brisbane City Council, Mr Currie has made public engagement regarding the city’s future a priority.
The community engagement process for Brisbane’s Future Blueprint report – led by Ms Currie – resulted in more than 277,000 interactions, helped in large part by an innovative game showing the public the impacts of different planning decisions.
“it’s exciting to be able to see the benefits of new approaches to engagements as I believe working with the community is critical to building better cities,” Ms Currie said.
Asked about the most attractive aspects of her different roles, she said: “I like the fast pace and the variety of what we do.
“I can go from a meeting at high levels of government in the morning to a community meeting in the evening through to an international teleconference with colleagues from around the world late at night.
“I get to see how planning functions around the world which is particularly interesting –and I am very lucky to be able to lead and work at this level.
“On the flip side I struggle with the lack of recognition for the importance of planning around the world.
“I would like to lift the understanding of the economic, environmental and societal outcomes of making good planning and infrastructure decisions for all members of the community. I think this is particularly important when we consider the allocation of limited infrastructure funding.”
ENDS