Australia continues to grow at a rapid pace, with our population just ticking over to 28 million. This growth brings vibrant culture and economic development potential, but also significant challenges to our housing supply and infrastructure readiness.
For UNE’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning student Cory Roberts, being at the frontline of planning for Australia’s future is an exciting prospect.
“Most of the planning in our community happens behind-the-scenes but is vitally important,” he says. “As our population grows and diversifies, we have to plan for housing, education, employment services and the like, and I enjoy being part of a team that seeks to accommodate and meet our community’s changing needs.
“It’s a planner’s role to ensure that our built environments reflect and balance economic, social and environmental factors, while also considering things such as climate change, biodiversity and urban renewal. There are a variety of stakeholders and inputs to take into account.”
Cory completed a Bachelor of Business Management straight from high school but had been struggling to find his professional niche when he secured a graduate planning position at Goulburn Mulwaree Council in 2022. With the help of his Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning from UNE, he has progressed from a strategic planning assistant role to that of strategic planner.
“The diploma enabled me to specialise in the planning field and gain qualifications recognised by the Planning Institute of Australia to enhance my professional career,” Cory says. “Working in the industry alongside my studies at UNE was definitely beneficial; it demonstrated a lot of the concepts I was learning about, and the content is highly relevant.”
Now Cory is taking his professional development a step further, embarking on UNE’s Master’s program, where he continues to appreciate UNE’s passionate teaching staff, practical units and extensive industry networks.
“The whole experience has been terrific and I’m excited to now be part of a profession that brings about change,” he says.
“There are opportunities for career progression across local and state government, as well as industry, both nationally and internationally. My qualifications deliver different experiences and knowledge, which, when combined, help me to critically assess information to achieve balance in the planning decisions we make.”
Each year, more planners graduate from UNE than just about any other Australian university. Along the way, they get to collaboratewith UNE’s industry partners to solve complex, real-world problems that enrich their learning and allow them to make a tangible impact even while they’re still studying.
