Chairs and Members - NSW Local and Regional Planning Panels
Contract type
Part Time
Location
Sydney
Industry
Public Sector & Government
Contact name
Adam Dent
Contact email
adam@orchardtalent.com.au
Contact phone
02 9157 6222
Date published
19.07.2026
About the opportunity
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is building the next pool of expert members and chairs for Local Planning Panels (LPPs) and Regional Planning Panels (RPPs), for a term commencing in 2027. This is a rare opportunity to bring your professional expertise to decisions that directly shape housing, development and community outcomes across NSW, at a time when the state’s planning system is undergoing its most significant reform in decades.
The Department is recruiting a pool of approximately 220 expert members and 160 chairs for LPPs, and 4 chairs, 8 state members and 25 alternate members for the state’s 4 RPPs. Candidates are welcome, and encouraged, to apply for both.
What panel members do
LPPs and RPPs determine complex development applications and provide advice on planning proposals, operating independently of council and ministerial direction on matters of substance. Panel work is designed to sit alongside your existing professional commitments, rather than replace them.
About you
You’ll have expertise in one or more of the following fields: planning, architecture, heritage, the environment, urban design, economics, traffic and transport, law, engineering, tourism, or government and public administration. Chair candidates need expertise in law or in government and public administration, plus the leadership and facilitation skills to guide panel discussion and decision-making.
Alongside technical expertise, we’re looking for sound judgement, integrity, the capacity to form independent views, and the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly.
Building a panel that reflects our communities
The Department is building a pool that reflects the diversity of the communities these panels serve. Candidates of all genders and cultural backgrounds, strong representation from regional and rural NSW, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates are all warmly encouraged to apply.
Who can’t apply
Sitting councillors are not eligible for LPP roles. Property developers, real estate agents, and current Department or council employees are not eligible for either panel type. Full eligibility criteria are set out in the expression of interest.
Remuneration and term
Panel members are remunerated per meeting in line with the Minister’s determination, paid as individuals through payroll. The standard maximum term for a single appointment is 3 years.
Find out more and apply at orchardtalent.com.au/planningpanels
Applications close 17 August 2026.
DO NOT APPLY USING THE BUTTON BELOW - PLEASE VISIT THE LINK ABOVE
The Orchard Talent Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is building the next pool of expert members and chairs for Local Planning Panels (LPPs) and Regional Planning Panels (RPPs), for a term commencing in 2027. This is a rare opportunity to bring your professional expertise to decisions that directly shape housing, development and community outcomes across NSW, at a time when the state’s planning system is undergoing its most significant reform in decades.
The Department is recruiting a pool of approximately 220 expert members and 160 chairs for LPPs, and 4 chairs, 8 state members and 25 alternate members for the state’s 4 RPPs. Candidates are welcome, and encouraged, to apply for both.
What panel members do
LPPs and RPPs determine complex development applications and provide advice on planning proposals, operating independently of council and ministerial direction on matters of substance. Panel work is designed to sit alongside your existing professional commitments, rather than replace them.
About you
You’ll have expertise in one or more of the following fields: planning, architecture, heritage, the environment, urban design, economics, traffic and transport, law, engineering, tourism, or government and public administration. Chair candidates need expertise in law or in government and public administration, plus the leadership and facilitation skills to guide panel discussion and decision-making.
Alongside technical expertise, we’re looking for sound judgement, integrity, the capacity to form independent views, and the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly.
Building a panel that reflects our communities
The Department is building a pool that reflects the diversity of the communities these panels serve. Candidates of all genders and cultural backgrounds, strong representation from regional and rural NSW, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates are all warmly encouraged to apply.
Who can’t apply
Sitting councillors are not eligible for LPP roles. Property developers, real estate agents, and current Department or council employees are not eligible for either panel type. Full eligibility criteria are set out in the expression of interest.
Remuneration and term
Panel members are remunerated per meeting in line with the Minister’s determination, paid as individuals through payroll. The standard maximum term for a single appointment is 3 years.
Find out more and apply at orchardtalent.com.au/planningpanels
Applications close 17 August 2026.
DO NOT APPLY USING THE BUTTON BELOW - PLEASE VISIT THE LINK ABOVE
The Orchard Talent Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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