CRC Public Relations has developed a crisis communications plan for Christian schools and has assisted many of our member schools across Australia to effectively communicate when issues have arisen.
National Education Association
A division of CRC Public Relations, Australia's leading crisis & PR advisory firm
Crisis Communications
Australia
The right response, right now.
The right preparation, before you need it.
The right skills, for when it matters most.
Backed by more than 20 years of crisis and issues management consulting. Trusted by companies, governments, industry associations, and organisations across Australia, the Pacific, and beyond.
Lyall Mercer, as seen in
2,000+ Professionals Trained · 15+ Industries Served
A crisis or major issue doesn'twait for business hours.
A data breach discovered at 2 AM. A product recall breaking on a Friday afternoon. A viral social media post that begins as a rumour and ends as a headline. A disgruntled employee. A workplace accident. A regulator on the phone.
Not every challenging situation is a full-blown crisis, but even an issue can create serious reputational damage if it is not handled correctly. One of the first things we do is define whether you are facing an issue or a crisis, and then act accordingly.
Your reputation, built over years, sometimes decades, can unravel in a single news cycle. The question is never if a crisis or major issue will come. The question is whether you will be ready when it does.
The moment it hits
2:17 AM
Data breach detected. Media have been tipped off.
Friday 4:45 PM
Product recall required. Weekend skeleton staff. Board expecting a statement.
11:23 AM
A post goes viral. Your CEO's inbox is full. A journalist is waiting.
"I don't know who to call. I don't know what to say." The most common words we hear.
Australia's most trusted crisis management, issues management, and communications team.
Which situation describes you right now?
For immediate crisis & issue response
You need help.Right now.
When a crisis or major issue breaks, the first 15 minutes are critical. The decisions made, or not made, in that window will define the outcome.
CRC Public Relations advisers have been in the room when it matters most. Lyall Mercer and his team have managed crises and complex issues for companies, governments, industry associations, schools, faith-based organisations, legal firms, celebrities, and sporting figures across Australia, the Pacific, and internationally.
We will manage the media and communications to key stakeholders. Protect your reputation. Guide every decision. And we do it with absolute confidentiality.
Urgent Support
Strict Confidentiality
Experienced Guidance
CRC Public Relations also provides media strategy, issues management, reputation advisory, corporate communications, digital media, and media training. View full services at crcpr.com.au →
Call us:
1300 182 186Urgent crisis and issue support by phone
If we miss your call, we will return it as soon as possible.
Or
Send a confidential message
Everything shared with CRC Public Relations is treated with strict confidentiality. We do not reference client engagements without explicit written permission. Our advisors operate with exceptional and professional discretion.
A division of CRC Public Relations, trusted crisis and issues advisory across Australia, the Pacific, and internationally for more than 20 years.
For crisis readiness & preparation
Be ready beforeit happens.
Most crises and major issues are preventable, or at least containable, when you have the right plan in place. CRC Public Relations helps organisations prepare before the call comes.
We develop practical, workable crisis communications plans. We provide crisis prevention consultancy and vulnerability assessments to identify where your organisation is exposed. And we conduct crisis scenario exercises so your team knows exactly what to do when it matters.
Crisis Communications Plans
Practical, workable plans that ensure you and your team are ready when faced with an issue or crisis that could damage your reputation, revenue, and future viability.
Crisis Prevention Consultancy
We assess the risks to your reputation, identify vulnerabilities, and help you communicate your actions to stakeholders, building trust in your brand before a crisis ever arrives.
Crisis Scenario Exercises
Realistic scenario-based exercises that test your team's readiness and decision-making under pressure, so you are not learning on the job when it counts.
Issues & Vulnerability Assessment
A confidential review of your real risk areas, conducted by Australia's most experienced crisis and issues management advisers.
Discuss your readiness
Confidential. No obligation. We will assess your situation and recommend the right approach.
Delivered by CRC Public Relations, with more than 20 years of frontline crisis and issues management experience.
For personal & team crisis leadership
Develop crisisleadership skills.
Whether you are a communications professional, business leader, executive team member, school principal, or a HR or marketing manager, the ability to lead through a crisis or major issue is a career-defining skill.
The My PR Partner Crisis Masterclass gives you and your team the practical skills to prepare for, manage, and recover from any reputational crisis or issue, with expert guidance shaped by frontline Australian experience.
This is not theory. This is war-room methodology, made accessible.
Exclusive Crisis Ready® 12-month course - presented by Melissa Agnes, Crisis Ready Institute USA
Australian context, local law, media landscape, and real case studies
From $340/month, with the option to pay monthly or annually.
In partnership with
Crisis Ready® Institute USA
The Crisis Ready® 12-month course is presented exclusively for Australasia by Melissa Agnes - global authority on crisis leadership, whose model is taught at Harvard University and has been used to train NATO, the Pentagon, and organisations on every continent.
Powered by CRC Public Relations
View masterclass optionsMonthly investment from $340, with annual payment options available.
Not ready to commit?
Founded by Lyall Mercer and Barbara Gorogh. Backed by more than 20 years of real crisis advisory work across Australia, the Pacific, and internationally.
25+
Years experience
2,000+
Professionals trained
Every
Continent worked
Guided by experience
Experienced counselwhen it matters most.
Lyall Mercer began his career as a journalist, writing for some of Australia's leading newspapers. That foundation, understanding exactly how media thinks, moves, and decides what becomes a story, is what makes his approach to crisis communications unlike any other.
Over the past 25 years, Lyall has built a reputation across Australasia as a leader in corporate public relations, reputation and issues management, and crisis communications. His clients include national and international companies, governments, senior executives, politicians, celebrities, and sporting figures, and he has worked with clients and media on every continent.
He has guided organisations through royal commissions, high-profile legal cases, serious allegations, political controversies, industrial relations crises, and social media firestorms. He has coordinated international media conferences and trained corporate and non-profit leaders across Australia, the USA, and Canada.
His commentary on crisis and reputation has appeared on ABC, Sky Business, The Australian, Daily Mail, Associated Press, Australian Associated Press, Fox News, CBS News USA, 4BC, the Daily Telegraph, and the New York Times.
"You have 15 minutes to respond to an emerging crisis before you start to lose control of the message."
Lyall Mercer
Proven outcomes
We have been in the room
when it mattered most.
Client identities are protected. Outcomes are real.
National Industry Association
Challenge: Regulatory threat
Developed and coordinated an intense public advocacy campaign during a period of acute regulatory pressure that threatened the entire industry. Media strategy and stakeholder communications supported the client's government relations.
OutcomeLegislation Amended
Private Education Group
Challenge: Reputation crisis
Managed the complete media response and parent and staff communications strategy during a high-profile reputational incident. Containment achieved. Minimal adverse coverage sustained.
OutcomeZero Enrolment Loss
Government
Challenge: International relations
Strategic counsel on stakeholder and media engagement during a sensitive international issue. Communications strategy aligned across multiple governments and countries.
OutcomeFunding Secured
All client details are withheld at client request. CRC Public Relations does not reference engagements without explicit written permission.
CRC Public Relations has helped us generate major, ongoing, national exposure and ensure that our message is widely heard.
Peter W.
Managing Director
National Industry Association
The invaluable customer relations support from CRC Public Relations helps ensure a high level of trust in, and growth for, our chain of more than 50 restaurants.
Hamish W.
Director
National Restaurant Group
"100% of our consulting clients would recommend CRC Public Relations to a peer." CRC Public Relations Client Survey
The Crisis Comms Australia difference
Not just a course. Not just a retainer.The only ecosystem of its kind.
Decades of Real Cases
Not US content. Not academic theory. Australian crises, international media, real legal and regulatory pressure - taught by practitioners who have been there. Lyall Mercer began his career as a journalist, giving him an understanding of media that no course can replicate.
Three Paths. One Trusted Ecosystem.
Whether you need immediate crisis support, practical crisis readiness planning for your organisation, or professional development for your team, this ecosystem brings advisory, preparation, and training together in one place.
Practical Skills. Real-World Depth.
The Crisis Masterclass gives leaders and communications professionals access to practical, practitioner-led training with real-world depth, grounded in Australian and international experience.
Every Sector. Every Continent.
From ASX companies and government departments to schools, faith-based organisations, sporting bodies, and organisations across the Pacific region and beyond, CRC Public Relations has advised clients across every sector and worked with media on every continent.
The decision
Choose Your Path.
There is no wrong answer. Only the answer you choose before a crisis or major issue strikes, or the one you're forced to make when it already has.
Not ready to decide?
Common questions