Welcome to The Hills & District Chamber of Commerce Inc. - a friendly and supportive business group bridging the Ferny Hills, Arana Hills, Ferny Grove, Keperra, Mitchelton and surrounding districts. Established in 1992, our Chamber is not-for-profit and is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland.
If you are involved in a business or community group and live or work in the Hills Districts, why not register for the next meeting - new members and visitors are always welcome.
We had our second 2021 Executive meeting on Thursday and at that meeting, the Executive made a tough decision to cut back on some of our committees. We found during 2020 that there were not enough volunteers to share the workload, and as a result we decided that less committees moving forward was the only answer.
One innovation has come from our membership committee. This committee in 2021 will hold information evenings, for new members. At these dinner meetings the committee and some of the Executive will brief attendees on the chamber activities, how they can be more involved and the benefits of chamber membership to promote their good or services.
We also want to restart the Friday evening drinks. These Friday get-togethers provide another avenue for members to socialise and network in a less formal setting. These informal gatherings are a great way to end the week and allow a casual network to take place.
Donna has lined up some fabulous speakers for the coming year, and I look forward to seeing you at the next breakfast. Mary
Treasurer
Stuart Jaeschke
Financial reports for the month ended 31 January 2021.
Secretary
Hayley Lingard
Are you seeing some return to (relative) normality too?
Across so many areas of the community I’m now seeing more and more people ready and raring to get out and about and connect with others. Our Chamber is no different as our breakfast events continue to grow their attendance and we start to plan more great things on the horizon!
John and Leah Hudson are our next breakfast speakers. We also have the Men’s Mental Health event coming up and our Big Breakfast event is starting to take shape. If you have any interest in being more involved with any of these events please chat to one of the Executive members and we can point you in the right direction. Stay tuned to our events page too as we look forward to things like Women in Business returning, as well as Social drinks.
A reminder that bookings for any events need to be done in a timely manner as we have new lead-in times and deadlines to work within given COVID - and we really don’t want you (or anyone really) to miss out!
On a different note, while I still intend to continue volunteering for the Chamber, I hope to step back from the Secretary role. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please reach out and I will happily share what is involved for anyone interested. Hayley
Advocacy Committee
Chair | Brian Battersby
Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC) – new Economic Plan
It’s called the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS) started early 2020 then it was finished and launched on Wednesday night 3rd February 2021 at Eatons Hills Hotel Grand Ballroom. Our Chamber is proud because we were participants in it, right from its inception, along with a dozen or so other key organisations.
To explain some of the MBRC REDS features we have attached 2 highlight pages details. The photo here shows a small snippet of the participant groups, with Moreton Mayor Peter Flannery (center) and our Donna Thistlethwaite standing on his right side. The footballs were a thank-you gift from Council that in true tradition, were “Made by a business Moreton Bay Region”. Our Opinion is Moreton is a Council that is really flying the Economic flag so our Chamber is proud to be associated and working together.
Click here to view the full Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-2041.
State & Federal Budgets ahead – what’s holding your business back
What is your STATE or FEDERAL business concern. Is it An Expansion (more jobs), HR Issues (cost impacts), Equipment upgrade (need help), your Current location (need finance or approvals) Please give us a precis of your constraints.
If you are not aware, our Chamber has a representative involved in the regular meetings the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland (CCIQ) and along with many other Regional Chamber delegates. Currently the preparation of a Draft Budget Business Wish List, is currently very high on our agenda.
The Queensland Government Small Business Roadshow Feb and March 2021.
By the time this newsletter is released, the Queensland Roadshow Tour of 16 different locations by the newly appointed Queensland Government Small Business Minister, Hon. Di Farmer will have commenced. I say congratulations to Queensland Government and especially Minister Di Farmer for this initiative and the time and effort to listen to and exchange ideas with Businesses. Brian Battersby will be attending the Brisbane northside event at the Eatons Hotel/Grand Ballroom on Tues 2nd March. Now I must say while a congratulations is in order, I am very keen to find out what are the state-wide issues raised, then what will the Queensland Government do to assist, mitigate them or offer help to the thousands of Businesses that are employers. Will there be an outcome report ??
Employability Matching & Mentoring Initiative between our Chamber and our refugee community.
Is your business seeking additional employees, interns or budding entrepreneurs over the next 6 months? And are you interested in providing people from refugee backgrounds a foot in the door to employability in our region?
If so, we’d love your involvement in our Chamber’s collaboration with the Romero Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (Romero Centre) who officially joined The Hills & Districts Chamber this month. We are currently coordinating details for this Queensland-first employability and mentoring program that matches the employability needs of refugees and asylum seekers with opportunities offered by our local business community. Matching opportunities will range from paid employment through to mentoring, internships and job placements. Please contact Craig Shim for further details.
Ideas for our Chamber to leverage Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Sister City Relationships
On behalf of MBRC, I am currently undertaking a project to review Council’s sister city relationships. Given our Chamber’s vision to be the most culturally inclusive chamber of commerce in Queensland, I invite your ideas on how we – The Hills & Districts Chamber of Commerce – could contribute to furthering our international relations (e.g. co-hosting inbound delegations, representing our business community for international business exchanges etc). Please contact me if you’d like to contribute your ideas via a short 4-minute online survey.
Small Business Resources and Programs from the Queensland Government
Are you familiar with the extensive support for small businesses offered by the Queensland Government?
At business.qld.gov.au you’ll find government-funded schemes that I think would be of interest to many of our chamber constituents – including microbusinesses owners who have no employees but who could benefit from an extra pair of hands. Many of the schemes are heavily government subsidised, meaning little to no cost to the employer.
I only recently discovered this through a meeting with Jenny Ockendon from the Queensland Government Department of Employment, Small Business and Training. Jenny is keen to engage with our Chamber and also asked whether we could connect her with women’s business groups in our region. Let me know if you’d like to be introduced to Jenny (email me). Craig
President
Treasurer
Secretary
Advocacy Committee
To explain some of the 
What is your STATE or FEDERAL business concern. Is it An Expansion (more jobs), HR Issues (cost impacts), Equipment upgrade (need help), your Current location (need finance or approvals) Please give us a precis of your constraints.
Cultural Inclusiveness Committee
