The focus of a particular planning framework is determined by its underpinning legislation and varies from place to place and also over time. Legislation is enacted, repealed or amended to reflect changes and trends within society and its values. There is no reason to assume, however, that these changes are reflective of the desires, wants and needs of the wider society and not that of just a few who represent the ruling elite or a particular interest group. In pluralistic democracies, certain interest groups could overwhelm the planning agenda and force planning decisions based on compromise solutions that are practically one-sided.

With reference to changes to the planning system in Australia, particularly in the New South Wales over the past few years, various authors have stressed the role of planners and the need for government intervention. This is prompted to a large extent by a fear that in the face of growing neo-liberalism and corporate managerialism, government intervention may be minimized and planning made peripheral as the market becomes the main force that shapes our cities, the society and the environment. Despite the rhetoric about sustainability and sustainable development that continue to appear in planning policies ever since the late 1970’s, there seems to be steady decline of social and environmental concerns and considerations and an increasing focus on economic development in recent years.

This paper looks at the process of reforms to the New South Wales planning framework initiated over six years ago generally referred to as the State government’s planFIRST initiative, against the backdrop of concerns raised in the literature over the trends in defining the role of planning.