CORE People & Safety | Integrated HR & WHS Consulting Australia Skip to main content
Australia's integrated HR & Safety consultancy

The businesses that never get caught out — have CORE

One expert team. One point of contact. Every people and safety obligation covered — so you can focus on what you do best.

200+ Australian businesses protected — with Kate's 20+ years of HR, WHS & leadership expertise
WHS Act 2011 aligned — all states
Fair Work compliant advice
Psychosocial risk — 2023 regs ready
200+ Australian businesses served
98% client satisfaction rate
Without CORE
Two consultants. Two bills. Contradictory advice.
HR dismissal process triggers a WHS incident. Neither consultant connects them.
Psychosocial risk obligations missed. $780k penalty (2023 precedent).
Hours lost briefing multiple consultants on the same context.
With CORE
One integrated team. One account. One strategic view.
HR and WHS decisions are always coordinated — no gaps.
Proactive compliance alerts before regulators come knocking.
You explain your business once. We handle the rest.
The real cost of separation

HR and safety siloed is a risk you can't afford

$780k
Average WHS penalty for psychosocial risk failures under the 2023 harmonised regulations — and Australian courts are no longer accepting "we didn't know."
73%
Of Fair Work unfair dismissal claims involve a preceding WHS element that a separate HR consultant had no visibility of. One integrated view eliminates this gap entirely.
2.3×
The average cost of using two separate consultants vs. one integrated team — including rework, gaps, and senior management time spent coordinating advice.
See where your gaps are — free
The CORE methodology

The CORE approach

CORE doesn't arrive with a generic template. The four-stage methodology maps your current state, builds the right framework for your industry and size, then embeds it — so it actually holds.

1
Diagnose
Health Check
75-point assessment maps your current state across leadership, people, safety, wellbeing and compliance. AI-generated risk report included free.
2
Design
Integrated Blueprint
Kate designs a co-ordinated HR and WHS strategy aligned to your industry, obligations and 12-month growth plan — not off the shelf.
3
Build
Implementation
Kate implements systems, documentation, training and compliance frameworks. Your team is involved at every stage so adoption is real, not theoretical.
4
Protect
Ongoing Support
Retainer clients get proactive monitoring, legislative updates, and a dedicated expert on call — so you're never caught out by what you didn't know to watch for.
"The best people and safety programs in Australia don't happen despite the business — they happen because the business understood that protecting its people is the strategy." — CORE People & Safety
The CORE platform

Six tools. One ecosystem. Everything your business needs.

Every CORE client gets access to the full platform — because software without expert support is just another subscription you don't use.

Management System

CORE Hub

Your integrated management platform for HR, WHS, compliance tracking, and incident management — all in one place, built for your team.

Explore Hub
AI Assistant

CORE AI

Instant guidance for your managers. "What do I do when..." — answered in seconds with advice tailored to your industry, team and obligations. Plus your own bespoke policy generator.

Try CORE AI
Training Hub

CORE Learn

Compliance-critical training for your entire team. Inductions, WHS obligations, mental health, leadership foundations — tracked and certified in one place.

View Courses
Toolkits

CORE Tools

Industry-specific toolkits that give your managers the confidence to handle anything — performance conversations, return to work, incident response, and more.

Browse Tools
Document Library

CORE Docs

Professionally drafted policies, procedures, forms and templates — ready to customise. Employment contracts, WHS plans, return-to-work frameworks and 200+ more.

Browse Library
Expert Advisory

CORE Advice

For the situations where AI and templates aren't enough. Direct access to a qualified HR or WHS specialist — available when you need it, with full context of your business.

Talk to an Expert
Free assessment

Know exactly where your business stands — in 20 minutes

The CORE Business Health Check is a 75-question assessment that gives you a complete picture of your people and safety risks — with an AI-generated report, cost-of-inaction analysis, and a 30/90-day action plan.

  1. 1Answer 75 questions across 5 key areas of your business
  2. 2Get an instant AI report with your risk scores and priority gaps
  3. 3See the financial cost of inaction and a personalised action plan
  4. 4Book a free call to walk through your results with an expert
Start Health Check — Free
No account required • Takes ~20 mins • 100% free
Industry expertise

Built for the industries where getting it wrong is not an option

Different industries have different obligations, risks and cultures. CORE's consultants have deep sector experience — so your solutions actually fit.

Construction & Trades
High-risk industry • COP compliance critical
Safe Work Method Statements, subcontractor management, high-risk work licences, fatigue management and project-specific WHS plans.
Health & Community
Workforce complexity • High psychosocial risk
Aggression management, fatigue frameworks, SCHADS Award compliance, mandatory reporting obligations and workforce retention strategies.
Manufacturing & Logistics
Plant & equipment risk • Shift complexity
Machinery guarding, shift roster compliance, contractor management, WHS management systems and ISO 45001 alignment.
Professional Services
Psychosocial risk • Remote & flexible work
Remote work policies, psychosocial hazard management, culture uplift, manager capability and employment contract compliance.
Hospitality & Retail
High turnover • Award complexity
Hospitality Award interpretation, casual conversion obligations, tip distribution compliance, food safety integration and team management.
Transport & Warehousing
Chain of responsibility • Fatigue critical
Heavy Vehicle National Law compliance, chain of responsibility obligations, fatigue management systems and drug and alcohol programs.
Client outcomes

What happens when businesses work with CORE

Construction
★★★★★
"We'd had two near-misses in six months and no clear idea why. CORE came in, ran the health check, and within three months we had a WHS system that actually worked. No incidents in 14 months since."
Operations Director, Commercial Builder
NSW • 85 employees
Health Services
★★★★★
"Our team was burning out and we had three HR matters on the go simultaneously. CORE handled all of it and rebuilt our rostering and wellbeing framework from scratch. Staff turnover dropped 40% in eight months."
CEO, Allied Health Provider
QLD • 62 employees
Manufacturing
★★★★★
"We were audited by WorkSafe and passed with commendation. The auditor said our documentation was some of the best they'd seen for a business our size. That's CORE's work."
General Manager, Precision Manufacturing
VIC • 120 employees
200+
Businesses protected
Across all Australian states
98%
Client satisfaction
Based on post-engagement survey
0
Successful prosecutions
Against active CORE clients
15+
Years combined expertise
HR and WHS specialisation
The expert behind CORE

One person. Three disciplines. 20+ years of real-world expertise.

Kate Powell built CORE because she spent years watching businesses pay for HR and safety advice that was never designed to work together. She decided to be the person who connected it — bringing deep expertise across HR, WHS and leadership under one roof.

Founder & Lead Consultant
Kate Powell
HR • WHS • Leadership
ISO 45001 Lead Auditor RTW Specialist Cert IV TAE Fair Work Expert
10+
Years HR — health, public sector & professional services
10+
Years WHS — manufacturing, education & professional services
200+
Australian businesses protected

With over 10 years managing HR across health, the public sector and professional services, Kate has led enterprise bargaining negotiations, driven culture transformation following major organisational change, and managed complex Fair Work matters that others had deemed unwinnable.

Her WHS expertise runs equally deep — 10+ years as WHS lead across manufacturing, education and professional services, qualified as an ISO 45001 lead auditor and Return to Work specialist. As a TAE-qualified leadership coach, Kate has also built leadership and team development programs from scratch for multiple businesses, turning under-prepared managers into confident, compliant leaders.

"What makes CORE different is that I'm not choosing between HR and safety expertise — I bring both, and I understand exactly how they interact. That's the gap I spent years watching businesses fall into."
Read Kate's full story
Free resources

Tools to protect your business right now

Practical guides built by Kate — not generic templates. Available free to all Australian businesses.

Compliance Guide

WHS Compliance Checklist

The 47-point checklist your business needs to meet every state WHS obligation. Updated for the 2023 psychosocial risk regulations.

Download Free
Salary Guide

Fair Work Minimum Wage Guide

Minimum wage rates, penalty rates and allowances for the most common Modern Awards — in plain English for Australian employers.

Download Free
Risk Framework

Psychosocial Risk Assessment Template

The exact assessment framework Kate uses with clients — adapted for the 2023 regulations. Includes hazard register, risk matrix and control plan.

Download Free
Common questions

Everything you need to know

CORE is an integrated HR and WHS consultancy. Instead of hiring separate HR and safety consultants — who don't talk to each other and create gaps — you work directly with Kate, covering both HR and WHS under one roof. Services include employment law, WHS systems, leadership development, psychosocial risk, compliance and the full CORE digital platform.
Subscription HR services give you a call centre and generic templates. CORE gives you a dedicated consultant who knows your business, integrated HR and safety expertise under one roof, and a digital platform tailored to your team. We also cover WHS — which subscription HR services typically don't.
Yes, completely free. It's a 75-question assessment across leadership, people management, WHS, wellbeing and compliance. You receive an AI-generated report with risk scores by area, a cost-of-inaction analysis (what these gaps are costing you), and a personalised 30/90-day action plan. No account required to start.
Absolutely. Some of Kate's most impactful work is with SMEs from 5 to 150 employees — businesses that are growing fast and realise their people and safety obligations are outpacing their capacity to manage them in-house. We scale our engagement to your size and budget.
Advisory and platform services are available to all Australian businesses nationally. Kate works with clients across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT and ACT. On-site support is available in most states — contact CORE to discuss your location.
CORE Advice clients have direct access to Kate — typically same-day for urgent matters. For new clients, book a call and Kate will assess urgency and respond accordingly. Urgent people matters don't go in a queue.
Take the next step

Your people and safety obligations are not going to get simpler

The 2023 psychosocial risk regulations. Increasing Fair Work scrutiny. A workforce that expects more. The businesses winning right now have one thing in common — they dealt with this early.

No obligation. No sales pitch. Just clarity on where you stand and what to do next.