Dr Sue Hunt

Dr Susan Hunt’s research investigated good practice for disaster resilience policy implementation. She proposed a good practice framework with four broad policy domains and policy objectives that could be used to achieve successful implementation. The framework is based on a model of dynamic and networked adaptive capacities: social capital, community competence, economic development, and information and communication. The provisional framework was applied to five disaster resilience case studies: one at each level of government, one in the business sector and one in a not-for-profit organisation.

This provided information about the extent that implementation of the five activities was being informed by disaster resilience policy objectives. It was found that the principal of subsidiarity, which is closely aligned with federalism, can account for the relative success of some implementation practices as well as explain how others could be improved. The application of subsidiarity as the guiding principle of governance in the Australian disaster management system would ensure power is shared effectively by regarding the need for capacity building, negotiated roles and responsibilities, unrestricted access to information, and effective coordination across the system. So, subsidiarity was incorporated as the 5th policy domain of the Disaster Resilience Policy Implementation Framework, providing a useful resource for disaster resilience policy practitioners.

After completing her PhD, Susan has been working as a private research consultant. She has led research for the CRC, commissioned by the Yarra Ranges, Maroondah City and Knox City Councils to evaluate how Maroondah and Knox City Councils’ policies align with resilience. Sue has assessed the councils’ resilience indicators for emergencies to identify gaps and opportunities for council policies to better support community resilience. Susan presented her PhD research at the CRC’s Research Forum in 2015, 2017 and 2018.