Dawid Hough

Curriculum vitae

Dawid Hough

Research · Policy · Evidence · Governance · Stakeholder Engagement

Melbourne, Victoria · Australian citizen · hough041@gmail.com · 0474 830 647

Profile

Evidence-focused research, governance and assurance professional with Big Four experience, a Master of Public Health, and recent independent work building research systems that make complex institutional rules more transparent, traceable and usable. Experienced in evidence assessment, regulatory and policy interpretation, stakeholder consultation, structured reporting, source governance and translating complex material into practical outputs for non-specialist audiences.

Core capabilities

• Evidence-based desktop research
• Legislative, policy and regulatory interpretation
• Source appraisal and research traceability
• Briefing, report and submission support
• Stakeholder interviews and consultation
• Systems analysis and policy translation
• Cross-jurisdiction comparison
• Knowledge management and quality assurance
• Multiple-priority delivery
• Coaching and collaborative teamwork

Professional experience

Education

Selected evidence

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia — annual controls evaluation and Financial Claims Scheme readiness reporting under APRA's crisis-management framework.
• City of Gold Coast Open Data capstone — public-data initiative with governance and transparency recommendations.
• Western Cape Employment Equity Forum representative — workplace representation, consultation and inclusion.
• Professional use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; structured source-management systems; AI-enabled research tools with human verification.
• CISA (ISACA) — no longer active. Microsoft credentials: MCITP, MCTS, MCP, MCSA.

Cover letter

Research and Policy Assistant

22 September 2026

Hiring Committee
Australian Services Union
Victorian & Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch

Dear Hiring Committee,

I am applying for the Research and Policy Assistant position because it brings together the work I have done across evidence-intensive assurance, public-health policy and independent research with the kind of purpose I now want to work closer to: understanding people's experiences of institutions and using evidence to strengthen representation and practical outcomes.

Across more than 40 assurance and consulting engagements, I have worked from incomplete or competing evidence, tested explanations, identified patterns and translated findings into defensible written conclusions. At PwC Australia this included financial-services assurance across technology, data, third-party and regulatory environments, as well as Financial Claims Scheme readiness reporting under APRA's crisis-management framework. I delivered 16 engagements in one financial year and completed a three-month Adelaide secondment covering nine engagements, experience that strengthened both my research discipline and my ability to manage multiple priorities.

My Master of Public Health broadened that experience from institutional assurance into systems and policy analysis. Study in policy design, health law and economics, systems science, determinants of health, inclusive health and epidemiology/biostatistics developed a stronger framework for asking not only whether a process complies with a requirement, but how policy and institutional design affect people's real-world outcomes.

More recently, through Sentrix Digital, I have developed structured research systems covering employment, social security, health, insurance and regulatory material across multiple jurisdictions. The technology is secondary to the research problem: how to organise complex rules and fragmented evidence so that conclusions remain traceable and people can better understand and participate in the processes affecting them. RiskAtlas uses structured source registers to record authority, jurisdiction, currency and applicability; ClaimHub and ClaimBuddy apply the same thinking to evidence organisation, process transparency and claimant-authorised visibility.

I see a direct connection with union research. Individual experiences can reveal recurring systemic issues — unclear rules, missing records, process delays, inconsistent definitions, evidence gaps or institutional hand-offs. Good research can help move from an individual account to a defensible understanding of the broader pattern, while also making the evidence usable for members, delegates, organisers, advisers and decision-makers.

Stakeholder consultation has been central throughout my career. I have interviewed technical specialists, control owners, executives and operational staff across different organisations and jurisdictions, managed difficult stakeholder relationships, and coached junior colleagues. As a Western Cape Employment Equity Forum representative at Deloitte South Africa, I also contributed employee perspectives within a formal workplace representation structure.

My background is adjacent to, rather than within, union employment and industrial campaigning, and I would not present that as experience I do not have. What I can bring immediately is disciplined research, source evaluation, policy and regulatory interpretation, high-level written communication, stakeholder engagement and an ability to turn complex evidence into material that others can use. I would bring that capability with respect for the industrial knowledge held by ASU members, delegates, organisers and advisers.

I have recently returned to Australia and am settling in Melbourne. The advertised 0.6 EFT structure is the stable working pattern I am deliberately seeking: an opportunity to make a sustained contribution to work grounded in fairness, equity, dignity, solidarity and improved conditions for workers.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my research, policy, governance and evidence experience could support the Branch's Research and Policy Adviser and the wider work of the ASU.

Yours sincerely,
Dawid Hough

Supporting statement

Evidence against the role

Across assurance, public health and my independent work through Sentrix Digital, a consistent theme has been understanding how institutional rules operate in practice, identifying where information or power is unevenly distributed, and using evidence to make systems more transparent and navigable for the people affected by them.

1. Commitment to trade unionism, union values and organising models

I understand unionism as collective worker representation: members, delegates, organisers and elected officers acting together to improve wages, conditions, dignity, voice and power at work. My Employment Equity Forum role gave me direct exposure to employee representation and consultation. My MPH and Sentrix work reinforce related concerns around fairness, procedural transparency, information asymmetry and people's ability to participate in decisions affecting them.

I do not claim direct union employment, bargaining or political-campaigning experience. I would bring transferable research and policy capability while learning from the Branch's industrial knowledge and organising practice.

2. Evidence-based research and reliable resources

Across more than 40 assurance and consulting engagements, I have identified authoritative requirements, located reliable evidence, tested explanations against records and distinguished fact from assumption. RiskAtlas extends this discipline through structured source registers that separate primary legislation and government material from commentary and record jurisdiction, currency, applicability and refresh requirements.

3. Online and manual research skills

My work combines online search with close review of legislation, regulatory guidance, policy documents, decisions, reports, administrative material, data and supporting evidence. I am comfortable moving from an unfamiliar topic to a defensible research map: define the question, identify authorities, search broadly, narrow to primary sources, document gaps and produce an output another person can verify.

4. Policy, legislative and regulatory interpretation

My professional work has repeatedly required me to interpret regulatory requirements and assess how they operate in practice. Examples include APRA-related work, Financial Claims Scheme readiness, GS007 third-party assurance and AML/KYC reviews. I would apply the same discipline to Victorian, Tasmanian and Commonwealth policy: identify the authority, establish who is affected, examine interaction with existing arrangements, gather member experience and explain practical implications clearly.

5. Written and oral communication

I have prepared reports and briefings for partners, senior executives and external government stakeholders, including Financial Claims Scheme readiness reporting under APRA's crisis-management framework. I have also interviewed technical specialists, control owners and executives, managed difficult stakeholder relationships and coached junior colleagues.

6. Member-centred and stakeholder research

As a Western Cape Employment Equity Forum representative, I contributed employee perspectives on workplace inclusion and representation. I would bring the same listening discipline to member research: record experiences accurately, distinguish an individual account from a recurring pattern, and test patterns against documentary, policy and sector evidence.

7. Managing multiple priorities and self-management

At PwC I delivered 16 engagements in one financial year and completed a three-month Adelaide secondment covering nine engagements. More recently, Sentrix has required parallel management of research streams, source updates, knowledge structures and development tasks using explicit task breakdowns, status tracking and review checkpoints.

8. Policy impacts on workers and ASU membership areas

I understand the Branch covers local government, water, energy, clerical and administrative work, airlines, and social and community services. Formal policy and practical effect are not the same thing. My work has repeatedly required me to establish who a rule applies to, what operational changes or evidence it requires, and what its consequences are in practice.

9. Sentrix Digital, information asymmetry and practical empowerment

Through Sentrix Digital I have explored how research and digital tools can give individuals greater capacity to understand and participate in complex institutional processes. A recurring problem is information asymmetry: institutions and professionals may understand the governing rules, terminology, records and processes far better than the person whose circumstances are being decided.

RiskAtlas is designed to make the research layer traceable. ClaimHub and ClaimBuddy are designed around evidence organisation, claimant-authorised visibility and process transparency. The purpose is not simply to digitise administration; it is to make complex information more legible, identify evidence gaps, clarify who holds information and keep the affected person visible in the process.

10. Teamwork, fairness and representation

My career has been team-based across countries, disciplines and levels of seniority. I have supervised and coached junior staff, worked with partners and client teams, coordinated with specialists and operated within formal quality-review structures. My interest in this role is grounded in fairness, equity, dignity, inclusion, solidarity and the quality of representation.

Driver's licence

Current driver's-licence status will be confirmed directly in the application process. No unsupported claim is made here.

Conclusion

I would be entering union research from an adjacent professional background rather than a traditional industrial-relations pathway. I bring rigorous evidence handling, policy and systems analysis, clear writing, stakeholder engagement, source governance and practical delivery experience, while being ready to learn from ASU members, delegates, organisers and advisers.