Hi Mav, <moderator: delete advertising> defiantely dont believe you need an Architect to complete Planning Drawings.  If your Draftsperson has knowledge of the area or is willing to take the time to look into a councils requirements, there is absolutely no reason why he/she cannot give you a great result for your project.  In fact, Draftspeople can sometimes design to keep your costs down especially with the initial design fee.
Draftspeople usally work off a flat fee and not percentage of build cost, so there fees will usually be significantly lower. 

I think there is definately room for Architects and Draftspeople. A lot of the time, Architects will be involved in larger projects as they have a larger staff base than most Draftspeople (in this case, we have 14 inhouse Designers and Draftspeople).

i hope this helps a bit!

Wayne Densley
THREESIXTYDEGREES AUSTRALIA P/L
http://www.360dg.com.au