OUR GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE
Harrisons has significant experience across all levels of government including HR projects in local government and councils, as well as Queensland state government departments. Recent engagements include:
Douglas Shire Council Engagement: Occupational Violence Prevention
Frontline worker safety framework for customer service, rangers, libraries, parks and field crews.
Hinchinbrook Shire Council Engagement: Sexual Harassment Prevention Planning
Respect@Work positive duty compliance and prevention planning under recent legislative reform.
Mackay Regional Council: Grad Program, Investigations & Policy Framework
Graduate program development, workplace relations and investigations, HR policy framework.
Flinders Shire Council Engagement: WHS for Major Infrastructure Project
Support to deliver major road infrastructure upgrades safely and effectively across regional Queensland.
Crown Law Queensland: Capability Framework & Role Descriptions
Role clarity, capability expectations and workforce consistency across legal teams.
The challenges GOVERNMENT IS bringing to us
Local Government and Queensland State Government departments are navigating an unprecedented workforce environment. The pressures are real, the obligations are growing, and the in-house resources to deal with them are thinner than ever. Here’s some of the ways Harrisons is helping local and state government…
PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS AND THE NEW WHS REGULATIONS
The legal landscape has shifted. Manager capability, risk assessments, and policy frameworks all need to move with it. We help councils build defensible compliance without burying frontline supervisors in paperwork.
OCCUPATIONAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION
Frontline council workers — customer service, rangers, libraries, parks, field crews — face aggression on the job. We help councils design and roll out prevention frameworks that actually work in the field, not just on paper.
WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS AND COMPLEX GRIEVANCES
Sensitive matters, often political, always confidential. Independent investigators with public sector experience and sound legal grounding.
RESTRUCTURES AND ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
From service review outcomes to amalgamation pressures, councils restructure regularly. We support consultation processes, redeployment, redundancy and the change management work that determines whether the new structure actually delivers.
Manager capability uplift
The supervisory layer is where most workforce risk sits — and most councils know it. We deliver practical, scenario-based training that meets managers where they actually are.
How we work with councils
Engagement is straightforward
We’ve worked with councils long enough to know that getting started shouldn’t be the hard part. Here’s how to engage us.
LOCAL BUY APPROVED
Harrisons is a Local Buy approved supplier under Business Services & Recruitment, which means QLD councils can engage us directly through your existing procurement framework — no separate tender process required for most engagements.
FIXED-SCOPE PROJECTS
Most of our council work is scoped and quoted as discrete projects with clear deliverables, timelines and fixed pricing. You know what you're getting before we start.
SENIOR CONSULTANTS ON EVERY ENGAGEMENT
You won't be handed to a junior. The senior consultant who scopes your work is the senior consultant who delivers it.
Harrisons works with councils ranging from regional and remote shires to city councils, and with Queensland state government departments and agencies. Engagements have included frontline worker safety, manager capability development, restructure support, workforce planning, workplace investigations and capability frameworks.
Meet your PRINCIPAL consultant
CLAIRE HARRISON
Founder & Managing Director
Claire personally leads Harrisons’ local government and public sector practice. She brings over 20 years of senior HR experience — including HR Director roles in multinational organisations and Redland City Council, and Non-Executive Board Director appointments — to council engagements.
A Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute (FAHRI) and AHRI Queensland State Councillor, Claire holds tertiary qualifications in accounting, management and law, a Diploma in Workplace Health and Safety, and has completed Executive Education at Columbia Business School. She is a Mental Health First Aider and author of two books on HR leadership and consulting.
Claire’s combination of corporate HR experience, legal training, and ongoing leadership in the HR profession makes her a trusted partner for council CEOs, Directors of Corporate Services, and P&C leaders navigating complex workforce decisions.
Why councils choose Harrisons
- Local Buy approved - Straightforward engagement through your existing procurement framework.
- Senior judgement throughout - No junior delivery teams or partner-sells/junior-delivers model.
- Right-sized for QLD councils - Large enough to handle complexity, small enough to be responsive.
- Sector-aware - Harrisons HR understand council operations, governance, and political realities.
- Project-based delivery - Clear scope, fixed pricing, defined deliverables.
- Discreet and confidential - Sensitive matters handled with the care they require.
Resources for government leaders
Stay informed on the issues affecting your workforce.
Every July brings a wave of workplace law changes. Most years you can absorb them with a payroll update and a quick policy review. 2026 is not that year.
Claire Harrison
Like every local government in Australia, Douglas Shire Council’s frontline workers — customer service officers, rangers, library staff, parks teams and field crews — deal with members of the public every day.
Claire Harrison
With recent legislative changes introducing a positive duty to prevent harm, Hinchinbrook Shire Council sought expert support to develop a structured, compliant, and practical Sexual Harassment Prevention Plan tailored to its workforce.
Claire Harrison
Let's talk about what's on your desk
Whether you’re scoping a specific project or working through a workforce challenge that doesn’t yet have an obvious answer, we’re happy to talk. No obligation, no pitch — just a confidential conversation with a senior consultant who understands the council environment.
Or call us directly on 1300 001 447
