Case Study: Transforming Risk Management for a NSW Local Council

THE CHALLENGE

A NSW council recognised the need to strengthen its governance and risk management practices to better align with community expectations, the Office of Local Government (OLG) guidelines, and its strategic objectives. With growing operational complexity, changing regulations, financial sustainability challenges and inherently higher fraud and corruption risks, the council sought to transform its risk management framework and culture across all levels of the organisation.

While the council had an existing risk management framework, many elements had become outdated and inconsistently applied. Risk ownership was fragmented, and the risk culture varied across departments. Leadership recognised the need for a more sustainable, integrated, and proactive approach to managing risks – one that would empower staff, improve reporting to the Audit, Risk & Improvement Committee, and enhance compliance with OLG requirements.

OUR APPROACH

InConsult was engaged to conduct a comprehensive health check of the council’s risk management framework, culture, and practices. Our approach included:

• Reviewing and assessing the current risk management framework, including policy, plan, and procedures.
• Conducting a risk culture assessment through interviews and surveys to understand awareness, accountability, and engagement levels.
• Supporting the communication and rollout of the updated framework across all divisions.
• Delivering risk management training for councillors, executives, managers, and key staff to build capability and consistency.
• Facilitating council-wide risk identification workshops, covering strategic, operational, and fraud and corruption risks.
• Reviewing the risk management function and workforce structure, providing recommendations to establish a more sustainable and embedded model for the future.

OUTCOMES & IMPACT

The engagement delivered a refreshed and practical risk management framework that was clear, compliant, and easy to apply.

The council’s leaders and staff demonstrated greater ownership and understanding of risk, enabling better decision-making and reporting.

The training and workshops significantly improved engagement and consistency across the organisation.

As a result, the council now has a more mature, sustainable, and proactive risk management culture – and is fully compliant with the new OLG guidelines..

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This case study is drawn from a real-life engagement/project between InConsult and our client. While client details are not disclosed for commercial and confidentiality reasons, this case study is based on a real engagement and reflects genuine results and outcomes. Specific client references and project details can be shared with prospective clients during the proposal process.