Practitioner-led public safety training
Build capability
before it is tested.
Nationally recognised emergency exercise, operational risk and public safety
training - designed and delivered by people who have led when it mattered.
Trusted by
Australia-Wide Delivery
Small, Practical Cohorts
Training Partner
Diverse Training Concepts - RTO 88182
70+
years combined industry experience
20
maximum learners in public courses
National
delivery across Australia
Operational
experience, not theory alone
Upcoming Public courses
Choose your next course.
Know the details upfront.
Clear dates, locations and full pricing before enrolment. Choose a session, reserve a place and select card payment or invoice.
Complete Qualification Pathway
Certificate IV in Public Safety (Leadership)
Complete Operational Risk, Operational Leadership and Operational Communications as one coordinated pathway. Successful completion of the three courses and all assessment requirements provides the units required to attain the full Certificate IV in Public Safety (Leadership).
Three-course package
$6450 + GST
$7,095 including GST
$2150 +GST per course
Save $675 + GST ($742.50 including GST) compared with booking the three courses separately.
🟠 Almost Full
Melbourne
Nationally Recognised Training
Operational Risk Course
A practical methodology for identifying, assessing and treating operational risk in real workplace environments.
START DATE: November 9, 2026
END DATE: November 12, 2026
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Melbourne
Course Fee
$2,375.00 +GST
$2612.50 including GST
🟢 Enrolments Open
Canberra
Nationally Recognised Training
Operational Risk Course
Build confidence in risk decisions through a structured approach that can be applied immediately in the workplace.
START DATE: November 16, 2026
END DATE: November 19, 2026
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Canberra
Course Fee
$2,375.00 +GST
$2612.50 including GST
🟢 Enrolments Open
Brisbane
Nationally Recognised Training
Operational Risk Course
A practical methodology for identifying, assessing and treating operational risk in real workplace environments.
START DATE: February 15, 2027
END DATE: February 18, 2027
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Brisbane
Course Fee
$2,375.00 +GST
$2612.50 including GST
🟢 Enrolments Open
Brisbane
Nationally Recognised Training
Emergency Exercise Management Course
Design, manage and evaluate realistic emergency management exercises using practical, facilitator-led learning.
START DATE: February 8, 2027
END DATE: February 11, 2027
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Brisbane
Course Fee
$1,800.00 +GST
$1980 including GST
🟢 Enrolments Open
Canberra
Nationally Recognised Training
Operational Risk Course
Build confidence in risk decisions through a structured approach that can be applied immediately in the workplace.
START DATE: February 22, 2027
END DATE: February 25, 2027
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Canberra
Course Fee
$2,375.00 +GST
$2612.50 including GST
🟢 Enrolments Open
Melbourne
Accredited and Non-Accredited Pathways
MEMO / MRM Course
Practical preparation for people performing municipal emergency management and emergency operations centre roles.
START DATE: March 11, 2027
END DATE: March 12, 2027
DURATION: 2 days . 8:30am - 4:30pm
LOCATION: Melbourne
Course Fee
Price range: $900.00 through $1,230.00 +GST
$990 - $1353 including GST
🔵 Expressions of Interest Open
Australia-wide
Specialist Professional Training
Local Government Investigations
Investigation fundamentals and practical skills for local government, regulatory, compliance and authorised officers.
START DATE:
END DATE:
DURATION: 4 days . Face to face
LOCATION: Australia-wide
Course Fee
$1,300.00 +GST
$1430 including GST
Not ready to book?
Register your interest in attending a course.
Tell us your name, email, phone number, preferred course and city. We will keep you informed about the intake and contact you when it is ready to proceed.
Courses are confirmed when minimum participant numbers are achieved. You will be advised as soon as the required number is reached and the course is confirmed.
Travelling to attend?
Ask about a course, flights and accommodation package.
If you need to travel for a Shepherd course, enquire with us about coordinating your course place, flights and accommodation in one package.
Travel arrangements will only be finalised once the selected course has been confirmed.
Significant coursework completed during delivery
Easing unnecessary pre-course or post-course burden.
Delivered by practitioners
Real operational insight translated into practical learning.
Invoice option available
Suitable for government and organisational purchasing
Training Portfolio
Capability for every stage
of emergency readiness.
01
FLAGSHIP PROGRAMME
Emergency Exercise Management
Design, manage and evaluate exercises with confidence.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
Practical, facilitator-led training in the design, planning, conduct and evaluation of emergency management exercises. Participants develop the documents, control arrangements and evaluation approach needed to deliver credible discussion, functional and field exercises.
02
RISK CAPABILITY
Operational Risk
Assess risk, select treatments and implement controls.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
A structured and practical approach to identifying, analysing, evaluating and treating operational risk. Participants apply the methodology to realistic workplace problems and build risk decisions they can explain, defend and implement.
03
PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
Operational Leadership
Lead teams and maintain performance under pressure.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
Develops the judgement, team leadership and resource coordination needed in operational environments. The course focuses on setting direction, maintaining performance, making sound decisions and leading people through uncertainty and pressure.
04
INFORMATION FLOW
Operational Communications
Brief, debrief and communicate in demanding environments.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
Builds the skills to communicate clearly, manage information and conduct effective briefings and debriefings. Participants practise turning complex operational information into concise, timely and actionable communication.
05
MUNICIPAL READINESS
MEMO / MRM
Prepare to perform effectively within municipal emergency management and emergency operations centre roles.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
Designed for personnel working in municipal emergency management and emergency operations centres. Accredited and professional-development options build confidence in coordination, consequence management and role-based decision-making.
06
REGULATORY CAPABILITY
Local Government Investigations
Build practical investigation capability for local government, compliance and regulatory environments.
EXPLORE THE COURSE
A practical investigations programme for authorised officers and regulatory personnel. It covers planning inquiries, gathering and assessing evidence, interviewing, recording decisions and preparing defensible investigation outcomes.
Upcoming Public courses
Build capability
across your whole team.
We adapt accredited and non-accredited programmes to your people, operating environment and risk profile—delivered onsite or online across Australia.
- Private cohorts and tailored delivery
- Role-relevant scenarios and practical assessment
- Group invoicing and coordinated enrolment
- Pathways across multiple units of competency
Emergency Management Consulting
Specialist services that
turn plans into capability.
From initial design through to independent evaluation and risk reporting, Shepherd provides the practical expertise needed to prepare, test and strengthen your organisation.
01
Exercise Design & Delivery
Tailored discussion, functional and field exercises that test plans, procedures, capability, coordination and decision-making.
- Exercise strategy and governance
- Scenario, objectives and documentation
- Control, logistics and safe delivery
02
Exercise Facilitation
Tailored discussion, functional and field exercises that test plans, procedures, capability, coordination and decision-making.
- Plan and scenario review
- Facilitation and participant engagement
- Immediate debrief and observations
03
Independent Exercise Evaluation
Structured evaluation of people, plans, processes, procedures and protocols—supported by evidence and clear improvement actions.
- Evaluation planning and collection
- Independent exercise observation
- Outcomes reporting and recommendations
04
Risk Assessment & Plans
Independent assessment for sites, events and operational environments, with practical controls and written reporting.
- Site and event risk assessment
- Emergency response and recovery considerations
- Risk reports, plans and treatment advice
Supporting expertise
Emergency and crisis planning
Develop and review practical plans, arrangements and role structures that work under pressure.
Business and community continuity
Help organisations prepare for disruption, maintain critical functions and support effective recovery.
Incident reviews and debriefs
Facilitate structured debriefs, identify evidence-based findings and turn experience into improvement.
Resilient teams and communities
Build preparedness through role clarity, scenario-based learning and practical capability development.
Command and control
Strengthen governance, decision-making, information flow and coordination across operational teams.
Specialist advisory support
Provide experienced, independent advice for complex preparedness, response and recovery challenges.
Exercises & capability assurance
Capability and Capacity should be tested, not assumed.
Shepherd designs, delivers and independently evaluates complex exercises for organisations where readiness, coordination and sound decision-making matter.
Capability assurance
Building capability.
Testing readiness.
Assuring performance.
01
Scope
Purpose, risk and governance
02
Design
Scenario, objectives and control
03
Deliver
Safe, realistic exercise conduct
04
Evaluate
Evidence, insight and reporting
05
Improve
Actionable capability uplift
Why Shepherd
Experience that carries
from the room to the field.
Our facilitators and consultants bring decades of emergency services leadership, major-incident command and multi-agency exercise experience.
That experience matters. It lets us challenge assumptions respectfully, translate frameworks into practical action and create learning that stays relevant after the course or exercise ends.
Government
Exercises, training and risk advice that strengthen whole-of-government coordination and readiness.
Aviation
Airport emergency exercises, evaluation and planning aligned to regulatory and operational requirements.
Major Events
Operational risk assessment, emergency planning and assurance for high-profile public environments.
Transport infrastructure
Emergency services
Practitioner-led training and exercises grounded in command, coordination and frontline realities.
Critical industries
Tailored scenarios and capability assurance for organisations where disruption carries serious consequences.
Principal Consultants
Operational experience.
Strategic perspective.
Shepherd’s principal consultants bring decades of frontline, command, emergency management and national exercise experience to every engagement.
Principal Consultant
Craig Shepherd
Craig Shepherd brings more than three decades of operational and leadership experience across maritime operations, search and rescue, aviation, critical infrastructure and emergency management. His frontline background provides a practical understanding of decisions made under pressure and the systems, people and partnerships organisations rely on during complex incidents.
Craig is nationally recognised for his expertise in emergency exercise design, development, delivery and evaluation. He works with agencies and major organisations to create realistic multi-agency exercises, strengthen command and coordination, and convert evaluation findings into lessons management frameworks that support accountable and sustained capability improvement.
Principal Consultant
Karl Hahne
Karl Hahne brings more than four decades of frontline policing, law enforcement and public safety experience, including service as a Queensland Police Service Chief Inspector. His career spans operational command, criminal and security intelligence, surveillance and counter-terrorism, giving him an informed and practical perspective on leadership, coordination and decision-making in high-pressure environments.
As a former Australia–New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee Exercise Management Capability Advisor, Karl has specialist expertise in counter-terrorism training, major exercise management, facilitation and independent evaluation. He helps organisations translate observations into clear lessons, improvement actions and lessons management frameworks that strengthen preparedness and build lasting operational capability.
Emergency management
Search & rescue
Exercise design
Lessons management
Frontline policing
Counter-terrorism
Facilitation & evaluation
Lessons management
Start a conversation
What capability do you need to build or test?