Mansfield Shire's young planners take the lead

Published on 06 June 2025

Shire planners Esther Perkins and Nicole Embling have been participating in panel sessions as part of the Municipal Association of Victoria’s Rural and Regional Planning Conference held in San Remo.

The MAV is the legislated peak body for Victoria’s 79 councils.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said Mansfield Shire had experienced unprecedented growth.

“It is obvious to me that people will visit this place, fall in love and want to make it their home,” said Cr Rabie.

“The pressure from population growth is significant in our Shire. We can’t stop people from wanting to live here. Our job, at Council, is to make strategic decisions to make sure that we plan well for the population. For example, when more people move into an area, there is less open space to absorb water. During wetter periods, this means there is pressure on drainage systems. This is why there has been an investment over the past few years in Council’s drainage network. There are lots of examples for how we need to gradually enhance our infrastructure and services to meet the needs of a growing community.

“This type of town planning needs strong, smart and strategically minded talent to ensure our community is held carefully through periods of growth. After all, there is a reason everyone wants to live here and it’s an incredibly challenging job to maintain the beauty and amenity of our Shire as more people come.

“I’m so pleased that we have been leaders in attracting the talent that we have here at Mansfield Shire. I have great confidence in our planning team and the way they guide us through growth,” said Cr Rabie.

“From the top of the planning team, our General Manager Melissa Crane, who was selected to be part of the MAV Planning Reform Working Group last year, to these emerging leaders on the planning scene, Mansfield is a great place for young planners to be at the forefront of critical planning in a high growth environment where the landscape and natural beauty of our shire has to be prized above all,” said Cr Rabie.

Council’s Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Alexander congratulated both the young planners.

“It’s fantastic to see Esther’s and Nicole’s outstanding skills recognised. The panels were a great chance to share their knowledge and contribute to planning expertise across our state,” she said.

“I was also proud to see one of our previous planners on the panel, Oscar Yencken, a local who started his planning career in Mansfield,” said Ms Alexander.

Esther Perkins presented 'Planners on the rise, shaping the future of the regions' session which was hosted by young and emerging rural and regional planners. They discussed the future of the planning profession outside Melbourne.

Nicole Embling is a member of the MAVlab's Innovation Associates' AI Working Group and the session she spoke at related to 'AI as a Strategic Enabler, reimagining rural and regional governance'. Nicole shared insights into Advancing AI in Local Government and discussed the broader implications of technology adoption in the rural and regional context.