What makes Mums of the Hills private online community special? Easy - it’s the members who believe in the culture and take responsibility for it. There is much more to it though. With the news of changes to the social media laws for our teens this week, Dr Belinda Young discusses some key skills that we all need to maintain a safe and supportive online space.

The AFAC seasonal outlook for summer, outlining potential fire danger across Australia, was released today. In the face of growing bushfire risks exacerbated by climate change, it is clear that preparedness requires a multifaceted approach. Mums of the Hills recognises the role of gender dynamics in decision-making, addressing the barriers women face in being heard, and importance of fostering collaborative responsibility within households to create safer and more resilient communities.

The other day I sang Tim Minchin’s ‘White Wine in the Sun’ to a colleague unacquainted with the song. I got 2 lines in before the tears started.

Each year, we are confronted by the tragic loss of women and children to acts of violence that should never happen. The Australian Femicide Watch's RED HEART Campaign has long worked to ensure these lives are not forgotten, meticulously tracking every known Australian woman and child lost to murder, manslaughter, or neglect from white settlement to the present day.

This month, the name Isla Bell will be added to this tragic record. Isla was just 19 years old, a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, taken far too soon. She was a local, one of our own, just beginning to explore life’s possibilities and adventures.

In November, President Belinda Young joined ten community representatives from across Australia in Sydney for AMPLIFY’s National Housing Amplification. Together, they tackled 46 proposed housing reforms presented by think tanks, academics, industry leaders, and advocacy groups. This blog details their reflections of the event and on task at hand.

The Check Me Out project, brought to life by Mums of the Hills, Women’s Health East, and Phoenix Australia, was a compassionate, community-driven initiative aimed at nurturing the well-being of women, AFAB, and non-binary individuals. Through local roadshow events, this project created a welcoming space where people could connect with healthcare professionals, ask questions, and learn about their health. This initiative sought not only to empower individuals with knowledge but also to make mental and physical health support more accessible for those living with the unique challenges of life in the hills. Here’s a look at the outcomes, capturing both the strengths and needs within the community.

When it comes to the impacts of climate change, we see our community as Australia’s metaphorical canary in the coalmine. Our community is experiencing the early impacts of a climate change and serves as an early indicator of what other communities are likely to experience in the future.  

In this blog we call on our Yarra Ranges councilor candidates to consider the concerns of our community on key issues exacerbated by climate change.

The housing situation in the Yarra Ranges, particularly in the Dandenong Ranges, has become increasingly dire, exacerbated by a confluence of factors including rising homeownership rates, a booming short-term rental market, climate-related disasters, and family separations following the COVID-19 pandemic.

MotHs will continue advocating for solutions that keep families close, strengthen community ties, and ensure that the Yarra Ranges remains not just a tourist destination, but a home for its long-term residents.

MotHs has applied for grant funding through the Xero Beautiful Business Fund to help develop programs and awareness in our community to stop family violence from being the shameful crisis it is. Even if we are not successful with this grant round, we hope that this video will spark conversations and opportunities. To our wonderful network of friends, researchers, and orgnanisations, please hear our call to action and join us in making a difference in our community.

Every year, Mums of the Hills, Inc (MotHs) conducts a survey to ensure we are advocating on the issues that matter most to our community and to deepen our understanding of the people we support.

These insights have highlighted the need for ongoing targeted support and resources to address these pressing community issues.

Three years ago, the dual challenges of COVID-19 lockdowns and impending storms created an objective conflict with opposing threats and guidelines creating uncertainty as to the best course of action. Today MotHs again observes the effects of conflicting emergency warnings on residents, hampering their ability to make prudent, well-informed decisions.

Most people know MotHs has a large online group at its heart, with many smaller branch groups. But MotHs is much more than this. More than simply supporting each other through these challenges, we’re working towards preventing them.

While storms, flash flooding, and bushfires have long been familiar to the hills, their intensity and frequency are on the rise. Our families now face heightened vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, evident in events like the devastating 2021 storms that led to a monumental loss of trees (approximately 25,000). This loss may have contributed to the increased number and severity of landslides on our roads this week, as the weakened soil, no longer supported by tree roots, inevitably succumbed to the immense volume of rainwater that fell on Sunday and Monday.

That’s a wrap for 2023, we're immensely proud of the challenges we've conquered. Looking forward, we're excited to steer MotHs towards a sustainable future in 2024. Read the President’s report. Here's to more growth, connection, and success!

MotHs has been raising awareness, connecting mothers, supporting research and promoting local businesses since 2015 and we’ve dedicated ourselves to supporting women through the years of motherhood, connecting mothers to services and promoting local businesses. Reducing misinformation has always been a high priority for MotHs. Here is a list of official and approved links so you are informed come Referendum day on October 14th.

For parents wishing to return to work, finding childcare that suits your needs is incredibly important. Sadly in an area considered a childcare desert this decision is one of the most stressful.

We need to get women’s health in Australia back on track. In the wake of disruptions from multiple natural disasters and lockdowns, the health service system is overburdened, basic health checks have lapsed, and mothers in particular are struggling to find the time and funds to manage their basic care.

MotHs advocates on telecommunications, particularly the nbn and the need for them to be legislated as an essential service. Read more about our efforts on this topic, along with other issues including domestic violence, mental health and siloed information.

Stress, a feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressures, is the top mental health issue facing women today, with almost 70% of women in Australia experiencing stress. Unsurprising given research showing that women often perform far more cognitive and emotional labour than men.

We’ve learned a lot in the process of getting my daughter onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I share a few brief points to highlight inherent challenges, recognising everyone’s experience is different.