Skip to main content.

Local government

The responsibilities of local government managers extend across many portfolios, with high levels of responsibility for service delivery, a range of stakeholders and often complex management and governance processes. This diverse set of interests is concentrated into organisations that are usually relatively small and with only limited resources to manage them effectively.

Broadleaf has assisted local government organisations in the identification and analysis of risks to their operations and to the communities they represent, and in raising the risk management awareness of their staff. For example, we have helped local government organisations by:

  • Reviewing, enhancing and, where necessary, developing risk management processes that integrate with normal management processes, thus reducing the stress placed on already limited resources
  • Training staff in the principles and implementation of risk management in their organisation
  • Facilitating workshops to identify and assess threats and opportunities
  • Working with local government officers to examine risk treatment options and develop risk management plans
  • Working with local government officers to develop emergency response plans and business continuity plans
  • Assisting local government organisations assess the threats associated with climate change and helping to identify and evaluate adaptation options.

Our risk management work in this area involves the application of processes compatible with the international Standard on Risk Management, ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Principles. Broadleaf is closely associated with the Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand Joint Technical Committee OB-007 on Risk Management and other related working groups. With this experience, we have a sound understanding of the Standard and the ways in which it can be implemented in practice.

We also co-authored the Department of Climate Change publication, Climate Change Risk Management: A Guide for Business and Governmen. The Guide, which builds on the risk management standard, lays out a systematic approach to the development of climate change risk assessment and adaptation plans. It has been adopted by many local government councils across Australia.

The Broadleaf team brings particular strengths and attributes to our assignments:

  • A detailed understanding of ISO 31000 and how it can be applied successfully in practice
  • Experience in dealing with local government organisations, communities and stakeholders
  • A detailed understanding of and experience in public sector management and governance at all levels of government
  • Organisational development, strategic and management planning skills at a high level
  • A detailed understanding of and experience in policy and procedural development
  • Industry leading technical skills in quantitative risk analysis
  • Advocacy, training, and education skills.

Specific examples of our work

Broadleaf has undertaken a range of assignments with local government organisations. Our activities have covered most aspects of risk management, including enterprise risk management (ERM) and qualitative and quantitative risk assessments.

A sample of our clients and activities in Australia and New Zealand is shown below. We have also worked for utility companies owned by local governments, primarily concerned with water and wastewater – they are included here – and our work relating to climate change is also detailed here.

Auburn City Council (now part of Cumberland City Council)

Facilitate a series of qualitative risk assessment workshops, across strategic and operational functions of the Council, and identify risk treatments for the significant risks.

Facilitate emergency risk assessment workshops and develop an Emergency Risk Management Study Report, aligned with the NSW Government and Emergency Management Australia Guidelines on conducting emergency risk management studies.

Bega Valley Shire Council

Facilitate the development of a public sector comparator for the Council’s sewerage system upgrade, including a comprehensive risk assessment of the project and the development of a through life cost risk model. The analysis was used first to frame tenders for the procurement and then to inform the decision on whether to proceed with a Public Private Partnership arrangement and which supplier to choose.

Blacktown City Council

Review Council’s Emergency Risk Management Study.

Brisbane City Council

Conduct a qualitative risk assessment for the main technical option for augmenting a trunk sewer; facilitate an assessment of delivery, pricing and commercial options for the augmentation project, including their main benefits and costs.

City of Boroondara

Facilitate a strategic climate change risk assessment and develop associated adaptation plans, including spatial assessments based on flooding, coastal inundation and fire risks.

City of Parramatta Council

Facilitate emergency risk assessment workshops and develop an Emergency Risk Management Study Report, aligned with the NSW Government and Emergency Management Australia Guidelines on conducting emergency risk management studies.

Co-ordinate the development of a community-based CBD evacuation plan, focussed on the impacts to businesses with the Parramatta CBD in case of an emergency.

City of Sydney

Facilitate a strategic risk assessment workshop to assist in implementing the current corporate plan and the strategic vision; and advise on re-formulating the risk management framework.

Hamilton City Council

Review the risk management framework and the risks for a large ($370 million) Council programme to develop former farmland for housing and community purposes.

Hawkesbury City Council

Review Council’s emergency risk assessment and develop an Emergency Risk Management Study Report, aligned with the NSW Government and Emergency Management Australia Guidelines on conducting emergency risk management studies.

Hobsons Bay City Council

Provide expert advice on residential land use and development near a major hazard facility.

Holroyd City Council (now part of Cumberland City Council)

Facilitate a series of qualitative risk assessment workshops, across strategic and operational functions of the Council, and identify treatment options for the significant risks.

Redland City Council

Facilitate a strategic climate change risk assessment and develop associated adaptation plans, including spatial assessments based on flooding, coastal inundation and fire risks.

Rockhampton Regional Council

Review documents describing Council’s approach to risk management, and provide a training seminar on enhancing risk management in the Council.

Wagga Wagga City Council

Facilitate a risk assessment workshop to identify risks to the success of Council’s Sewage Treatment Works Upgrade Project and to select appropriate risk treatment strategies for the significant risks identified; resolve outstanding operational and compliance concerns raised by State Government agencies about the upgrade of the city’s two Sewage Treatment Facilities.

Wellington City Council

Conduct quantitative analyses of uncertainty in the Council’s cost forecast for a significant redevelopment project.

Western Port Greenhouse Alliance

Facilitate a strategic climate change risk assessment and develop associated adaptation plans, including spatial assessments based on flooding, coastal inundation and fire risks.

The Western Port Greenhouse Alliance consisted of five Victorian local councils: City of Casey, Bass Coast Shire Council, Frankston City Council, Cardinia Shire Council and the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

Related case studies

  • Land use near a major hazard facility

    When a proposal to build an aged care facility was received by a local council, a nearby major hazard facility lodged an objection to it. The council asked Broadleaf to investigate whether or not the objection was justified, and to be an expert witness in a formal public hearing. Our expertise in land use safety planning and regulatory requirements was useful in this process. In particular, we were able to guide the council to ask the right questions of the owner of the refinery to achieve a satisfactory planning outcome.

  • Climate change in a rural shire

    This case study outlines a risk assessment that examined the effects of climate change on a rural shire in Australia. It demonstrates the use of climate scenarios, and risk assessment over short-term, medium-term and long-term time horizons. It uses an extended risk analysis template as a continuing record of important supporting information for justifying treatment responses, some of which may relate to risks with impacts only in the far distant future but that require action in the short term to avert problems or to build resilience.

  • Addressing compliance for regional waste water treatment plants

    A regional local authority engaged Broadleaf to facilitate a workshop to resolve outstanding operational and compliance concerns raised by state government regulatory agencies relating to the upgrade of two sewage treatment plants (STPs). The case shows the value of a sound risk assessment process, demonstrable controls and structured communication among the stakeholders.

  • Upgrading a major urban sewer

    This case concerns the upgrade of a large sewer serving hundreds of thousands of people across a catchment covering suburban areas and a central business district. The objectives were to identify and set priorities for the risks associated with the project and to develop action plans for treating the most important ones. The value of the risk assessment lay in setting priorities that allowed the project team to focus on the important matters first and develop plans that were expected to achieve appropriate benefits quickly. It is pleasing to note that the new sewer tunnel is now in operation and achieving the desired outcomes.

Related resource material