Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was privileged to have a meeting in Beecroft with a dynamic new community group in my electorate, the Hills District Mums. Hills District Mums is a Facebook group. It is a fantastic network that brings local mothers together through Facebook not only to find out what is on for their kids in the area but also to share ideas on child rearing, to source advice on family issues and to grow and support local small businesses.

Hills District Mums was founded by Justine Slapp and Jenni Bohman. The two met at the Pennant Hills mothers group at a local community centre and soon saw the opportunity to create a similar mothers group through Facebook. They originally aimed for 200 members, but the rapid growth of the group surpassed all expectations. Today, Hills District Mums has more than 13,000 members and a committed team of 12 volunteers who help manage the group.

Justine and Jenni also created a parallel business through Hills District Mums, and it is one of our local entrepreneurial success stories. In 2015, they won the Sydney Hills business of the year award for community contribution and were recognised as having the most outstanding new business in the local business awards.

In our meeting last week we discussed issues of concern to the local community with 25 mums, including the important role that both the NBN and the NDIS are anticipated to play in the area, as well as the challenges of maternity leave, starting a small business and the importance of strong communities. This is clearly a great group of women who are dedicated to their local community. I want to congratulate Justine, Jenny and the members of the Hills District Mums for their outstanding efforts.