#30: Are we different 2 years on?

(UPDATE)

Renae Hanvin is a multi-stakeholder specialist with over a decade of experience in disaster resilience. Renae established corporate2community (C2C) knowing the need for industry, small to medium enterprises, government and communities to start thinking differently and doing differently before, during and after all-hazards disasters.

Renae’s forward-thinking, holistic approach to disasters has positioned her and C2C as a thought leader in driving positive change across the sector and beyond.

(UPDATE)

I started thinking differently and doing differently when it comes to disasters when I worked at Australia Post, which is an Australian national postal outlet, and basically, I led the community response to the disasters, which was about identifying what role should Australia Post play. When I left Post, I spent a bit of time consulting with a state government in Australia looking at a multi-stakeholder lens. So, that’s my passion and I guess that’s what makes me wake up in the morning.

I look at stakeholders from a direct and indirect perspective, and I worked on a Victorian fire management strategy, which was really interesting and informative because we could not just look at the typical stakeholders that were part of all the conversations relating to fire management, but really expand that and look at all the consequence related stakeholders that would indirectly be impacted as well.

I wrote stakeholder engagement frameworks and toolkits to enable and try and educate the government representatives working in the disaster space as to how they could better understand and better engage with and collaborate with other stakeholders.

This got me starting to question the national philosophy in Australia relating to shared responsibility when it comes to disasters in the sense that everyone, individuals, businesses, not-for-profits organizations and governments all play a role in the before, during and after stages of disasters, most importantly, in building resilience.

So, I started questioning what does this mean, what role can we each play and how can we activate shared responsibility to be more than merely a vision?

At the start of 2018, I formally launched corporate2community, and I have to say there’s about three years of planning and mapping and researching internationally before that. The focus of corporate2community is about advocating and activating a greater role that the private sector or businesses can play because businesses are innovators, they’re enablers and through stakeholders, they drive solutions and positive outcomes.

But in the current landscape of disasters, the business stakeholder group I’d say is pretty misunderstood, and I think there’s a really big opportunity to better understand and embrace and acknowledge the role that they can play.

So, my focus on Doing Disasters Differently and the foundations for corporate2community are really simple.

It’s about building resilient businesses, helping communities thrive and leading collaborations. We need resilient and thriving businesses for communities, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas where small businesses are the economic heart and soul of communities. If we don’t have thriving businesses in these communities, then there’s no employment, people will have to move or go somewhere else to purchase things so there’s no money being invested into the communities. Or they’ll have to leave to get a job so they can pay for their rent and family requirements.

But we need thriving communities for business success because businesses can’t operate if there’s no community able to purchase their products or services.

Renae Hanvin

So it’s been about two years since my last reflection, and I was thinking about that, like how could it be two years since we’ve done some podcasts. But I think that’s just a reflection really, on the amount of work and strategy and advisory and program delivery and I guess need from our communities across Australia because of so many disasters and disruptions that we’ve faced. So we’ve had bush fires, floods, storms, heat waves, obviously the global COVID pandemic. And I think it’s been a real, I guess, reality that we are now in a new era of compounding disruptions. And there’s many, you know, big disruptions like the bush fires and the storms and the floods, but also small disruptions like power outages and internet outages and staffing shortages that we’ve faced. So me as the, I guess the CEO and owner of Resilient Ready as a social enterprise, we have been so busy working at both the community level, the local council, government, state government, and federal government level to really build some change in the disaster space.

1. Building Community Resilience: Empowering Small Businesses and Enhancing Disaster Preparedness

Obviously focused predominantly on building business community resilience. So I just wanted to, I guess, reflect not so much on the past podcast guests, but what’s actually been happening in the space. And I think there’s been a lot happening and the industry or the sector of emergency management has evolved over the past few years. I mean, it’s had to really, because we’ve had so many different types of disruptions, but I think when it comes to business community resilience in particular, and as you all know, my focus is micro small to medium enterprises, including, you know, not-for-profits and government entities, really any operating entity that our whole aim is to keep them in business. I think there’s still a few, I guess, areas of opportunities, probably the right way to say. So I think small businesses and the people behind the two and a half million small businesses in Australia are still kind of an untapped gap.

I would probably say not really actively part of the ecosystem. Has it been improving? Yes, yes. It, it has. Is it where it needs to be? No, I think there’s quite a long way to go. So I thought I’d share what we’ve been delivering since the last podcast reflection in the work that we’re doing mainly around business community resilience and the toolkits. So after the summer, after the bushfires, we won some federal and state grant funding and we co-designed over 12 months, our Business Community Resilience toolkit or our Resilience Ready toolkits now, which is an online microlearning program and it’s all focused on nudge theory. So nudge theory is really nudging people along. So we are basically helping to teach people how to be more resilient, how to get ready for their businesses in five minute intervals. So really nudging people along.

And we are flipping the government policies and the frameworks and the 40-page business continuity plans. We are flipping them into little bite-sized chunks. So we’ve been collaborating with the likes of the CFA or the Country Fire Authority in Victoria, delivering programs in tourism industries, tourism regions, one region that has been impacted a number of times. So that’s the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. And also another area that I guess hasn’t been directly impacted for quite a while, which some might say, you know, there’s possibly something coming in the near future around Phillip island and that region as well. We’ve also been delivering our program with the South Australian Office of Small and Family Business, so the government department across the limestone coast region in South Australia, and also up in the Upper Spencer Gulf area of South Australia too.

2. Fostering Resilience Across Industries: Empowering Small Businesses and Farmers Through Collaborative Learning

And that program was really focused on all small businesses across the community. So while the ones we did with the CFA in Victoria were very focused on tourism related businesses, the South Australian ones were all businesses. And as part of those two programs, what was so great, apart from the different way of helping to teach people in business to think differently and do differently about getting their small businesses resilient and ready was we held lots of workshops where we brought people together to have conversations. And it’s really interesting to see, you know, hairdressers and cafe owners and pharmacists in the room all recognizing that they all pretty much face the same sorts of challenges. Slightly different of course, but in terms of how their business needs to keep operating, what they need to do to prepare and plan, it’s relatively the same.

And we like to, we like to use the 80/20 rule in the sense that the majority of what you need to prepare for in disasters and disruptions is pretty much the same. So in the process over the past couple of years, we’ve got about 60 themes in our microlearning modules now. And we are growing every day because we do them from needs led. And I’m gonna come onto in a minute, one of the most important ones that seems to be cropping up. Now, we also have been delivering this program and we did a pilot program which got extended with the New South Wales Young Farmer Business Program. And this is a great I guess department within the New South Wales government because it’s really focused on the next generation of farming. But we don’t limit it to just young farmers being under about 35 or 40 because we know that so many farmers are past that date or age bracket, but are still very, very young at heart.

And we really support intergenerational learning as well. So through our micro learning and nudge theory, it’s all about everyone learning something different. So we’ve been delivering the Young Farmer Business Program, I think it finished a couple of months ago, and we expanded across four major regions in New South Wales. And again, it was so interesting to hear that the macadamia farmers up in the Northern Rivers region were having the same issues and problems as the cattle and beef farmers in the Glen Innes region. So again, it’s a really good example that I guess our model and our approach about helping businesses to get resilient and ready is really the same and it’s so transferable against every type of business. But there were so many learnings that I picked up in and listening to farmers and business communities. And one of the big thing is that if small businesses get impacted, it actually affects the whole community.

So it’s not just that that business that’s been impacted, you know, is not gonna make a profit, it’s actually gonna impact the businesses around them as well because it means that they can’t buy from local suppliers. They’re obviously not gonna have products to sell to the local people in the communities. So it has quite a snowballing effect. And I’m really excited because we are now delivering in collaboration with the Torrens Resilience Initiative in South Australia. We are delivering our first business community resilience toolkit program at an industry level. So we’re doing one with the South Australian grape and wine industry. And it’s really great because we’ve been able to deep dive into some modules that are really specific to the wine industry. So one that I love, and we have run it before, but I think it’s really pertinent, is actually delivering a micro learning module on engaging with emergency services.

So that enables us to have a bespoke, I guess, communication and connection with the grape and wine industry about why it’s important that they build a relationship with the local fire brigade and SES and the benefits of them knowing each other, coming to visit the properties, talking about hazardous materials, et cetera, et cetera. So there are so many benefits and there’s so much value from getting small business people to think differently and do differently about disaster preparedness and resilience, but also the other stakeholders involved as well. Because when you go back to the notion, which you all know that I love shared responsibility, we all have a role to play. I think there’s so much benefit in the likes of emergency services and local councils and governments and big corporates and everyone understanding the vital role that small businesses play and how when we collaborate together, we can collectively build responsibility for greater resilience.

3. Insurance Awareness and Social Capital: Key Drivers for Small Business Resilience

Now I mentioned before that there were about 60 and growing. We are always creating new modules that we have developed. And I think the one that’s getting the most interest and the aha moments, like ah, you can see the light bulbs going off in people’s minds. And it’s not one that I actually thought would be a leader because it’s kind of probably one of, well, we used to call it the boring one or the grudge purchase, but it’s actually about insurance. So insurance is an area that is, you know, let’s be honest, we don’t wake up every morning in business and small business thinking, Oh I’m gonna know everything there is about insurance today. But I think it’s such an important part of business because insurance for small business people is actually protecting your livelihood like you are in business. Yes, because you love, you know, cutting hairs or being a pharmacist or being a farmer, but really you are also in business because you need a livelihood and insurance is a critical part of that.

But in the current era of cost of living pressures and everything so expensive and you know, profit margins are probably reduced. Insurance is one of those things that’s kind of being, I guess dropping off. You know, what people are being able to afford. But insurance is really critical. And we did a white paper on a project, we did some small business insurance talks across the South Australia in 2023. And the statistics were pretty, pretty concerning. So there was about 79% of people actually want more help on insurance because they don’t understand why they need insurance or what the insurance is for. And then there was a big percentage of people who actually don’t even know if they’ve got the right insurance that they need. They’re not really sure whether or not the type of insurance they have is exactly what they need. We found that 64% of participants said that they either could not or want, were not sure if they could even afford insurance.

Now this is a problem and obviously some of you do live in areas that you might not be able to get insurance ’cause you might be on a flood plain or something. However, if you don’t even understand if you can afford it first you need to understand why you need it. And then you need to think about some revenue streams that can be bringing the money in so that you can afford it. We found it really interesting that a lot of small businesses have brokers, but a lot don’t even understand all the different types of people or organizations that you can get your insurance through. And then so many were didn’t even know, I think about 63% didn’t know that they had responsibilities as a business person when they had a policy. So they just think, oh, we’ve got an insurance policy so we don’t need anymore.

More concerning, I think it was about 50% had actually reduced the amount that they insured. So the premiums were lower, not realizing or understanding the consequences that that could have. And I’m not gonna go into that today, but that’s a real aha moment that we have been having. And Fiona Jago, who’s our lived experience facilitator, she had a caravan park on Kangaroo Island and is just one of the most saviest business people I know, her and her wonderful husband Mark. And they’re actually out now. They have a really, really booked calendar. She’s now working with Resilient Ready and delivering workshops all around the country. They literally get in their caravan and drive around the country and deliver workshops to talk about her personal experience of having the right insurance and getting the right insurance. So what’s so great is, you know, the white papers and the projects, again, these small business insurance talks, they’re giving direct evidence to say that we need to be doing things differently in the small business insurance space.

And if you are interested in that and you’ve got some experience as well, reach out to us at [email protected] because I’m always looking for other people to come on the advocacy journey with us because we are really trying to change and drive a certification approach and look at some new ways that the insurance industry can help small businesses to thrive. Now, for those of you who’ve been perhaps catching up with me through LinkedIn or just getting our eDMs, you will have noticed that we’ve been doing quite a bit of work in the area of social capital and social infrastructure with Professor Aldrich. And I know it’s a bit of a bit of a pivot from insurance, but I’m gonna explain the relevance in a minute. So I’ve been so grateful to have Professor Aldrich on my volunteer advisory group for the last five years. I can’t believe it’s been that long. And he’s now an active delivery partner with us. So he worked with us when we were formally called Corporate to Community before we rebranded to Resilient Ready. He worked with us on a project on Kangaroo Island and also in the Blue Mountains. And we very much look at the role of connections in communities. And again, my lens in particular is the role of those businesses and not-for-profits and, you know, operating entities in those communities. And it’s just been so wonderful to see the relevance and the, I guess the, you know, again, the aha moments from our micro-learning modules with things like Nextdoor Saviour, you know, as a business person, have you connected with the business people next door and talked to them about how resilient and ready you are or maybe aren’t for future disruptions? And again, all types of disasters and disruptions.

4. Filling the Gap in Disaster Resilience: The Critical Role of Social Capital and Infrastructure

It’s not just the big ones, even the small ones too. So having our work with Professor Aldrich has really opened up the notion of what is social capital and what is social infrastructure and does it fill a gap or is it a gap that really needs to be filled in the ecosystem of disaster resilience in Australia? And I have to say absolutely yes. Now we delivered a white snapshot project in South Australia with Professor Aldrich called a Social Capital and Social Infrastructure snapshot. So over six months we actually researched across South Australia all the different government and non-government programs and initiatives that were connected into the notion of social capital. And if you’re not sure what I mean by that, and I’m referring to bonding, bridging and linking ties, then jump onto our website because there’s a video to explain it and you’ll be able to see what work we’re doing, again with Professor Aldrich.

So understanding and I guess seeing the relevance and the interest of social capital across community lenses, business, community lenses, industry, government, it really quantified that that connection component of disaster preparedness is the missing gap. So our snapshot project in South Australia was fantastic, and we ran a forum when Professor Aldrich came over. And I’m gonna be honest, I thought we’d be, I don’t know if we got about 25 people that would be awesome. We actually ended up having to hire in more plastic chairs because we had about a hundred people, RSVP, which was just fantastic. And a high majority of them turned up as well. And what we specifically did was not just invite the disaster sector or the emergency management or resilience sector, we invited cross government. So we had people from health, we had people from critical infrastructure, we had building, we had sport and recreation, we had climate adaptation, we had businesses, we had industry, we had the Premier and Cabinet, et cetera, et cetera.

And of course, emergency management and services. And we also had non-government organizations. So lots of local councils. We had, you know, SA costs, multicultural, et cetera, et cetera. And it was such a fantastic conversation and I guess, capability building where everyone could hear Professor Daniel Aldridge’s work. But it was so, so clear that we need to be measuring social capital, so how people are connected, and then investing in ways to build greater connections in those bonding, bridging and linking ties. And a big component that we spoke about as well was the new area of work that Professor Aldrich is doing, which is social infrastructure. And again, jump on our website to find out more or, you can listen to one of the past or an upcoming podcast with Professor Aldrich, but social infrastructure are the places that foster those connections. And I know what you’re gonna say and you’re absolutely right.

Yes, small businesses and social businesses are absolutely places that foster connections. So if you think back to the start of this reflection as to the important role that small businesses and all businesses and not-for-profits play, you think of the hairdressers and the pharmacists and the pub and the libraries, you know, what do they do? They connect people. They connect people every day. And those connections are a central part of building resilience. So through the Snapshot project and there’s a white paper available on our website or a findings report, it was clear to us and all those who participated that we really need to measure social capital and social infrastructure from a community perspective. So we can see how connected our communities are, we can see where the places are that they connect, and then we can support improving that, growing that, strengthening that so that we can build resilient and ready communities.

And I think in the notion of, you know, investing in disasters, and I’ve said it before, a lot goes into physical infrastructure a lot. Now I’m not saying we don’t need to because we obviously do, but I think there needs to be more consideration and more investment into the other side of building resilience that people the path that’s a bit harder to quantify and measure, although don’t worry, we are working on that one. But the side of the fence, it’s about people and building capabilities and people and, and strengthening, you know, knowledge and awareness in people so they can make good choices, and then tell others through their connections. So, I guess, yeah, today’s reflection is wow, it’s so long overdue. But there’s been so much happening and I’m so proud of what we’ve been leading and advocating, and I think it’s just the beginning of some really exciting things to come.

Renae Hanvin

And I definitely think the first thing is that we really need to recognize small businesses and the value of small businesses from an economic and a social perspective within the emergency management sector. So whether you are listening to this podcast from a council role, an emergency services role, a state or federal government role, or you are in a community or you’re from a corporate or an industry body. So, small businesses and the people behind small businesses are really key. They are golden untapped nuggets in communities and it’s really important, and I think it’s time that we think differently about including them and advocating for them in the emergency management and resilience space.

And then my second thing is we need to measure social capital and social infrastructure so that we have quantitative and qualitative data, a baseline that shows us how people are connected and where we need to better connect people, particularly in areas of high risk. So by measuring social capital and social infrastructure, it can support us to invest better and deliver to outcomes that are gonna benefit everyone again, under that notion of shared responsibility. So I promise you it won’t be two more years until I do another reflection, but thanks again for coming back and sticking with us and listening to yeah, my thoughts and my reflection on what’s been happening and how we can start doing disasters differently.

I hope today’s episode of Doing Disasters Differently podcast has inspired you to think a little bit differently about the role you can play before, during, and after disasters. Given the new era of more frequent and compounding disasters that we are now in, let’s work together to build an all hazards disaster resilient future for all. Find out more about the work I’m leading as a social enterprise building disaster resilience at resilientready.org. Don’t forget to subscribe to doing disasters differently, the podcast through your preferred platform. And we’ll see you next time when we discover new ways of doing disasters differently together.