Get Involved - Parliament

Simone Short

Published on: October 2025

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-158562

Simone Short

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (00:50:24):

I heartily congratulate Simone Short on being selected as a recipient of the Westfield Warringah Mall Local Hero award for making a positive difference to her community. Simone is a tremendously effective chairperson. She is the co-founder of the Gidget Foundation and the sister of the affectionately named "Gidget", who lives on in remembrance through the foundation. The Gidget Foundation, headquartered in North Sydney, is a wonderful non-profit that provides timely, appropriate and specialist support for new and expectant parents facing perinatal anxiety and depression. As part of the Local Hero award, Simone has secured a $20,000 grant from Westfield to support the programs offered by the Gidget Foundation, specifically perinatal healthcare training and delivering further education and awareness campaigns. The generosity of Simone's character was shown when she credited colleagues Trish Job, Rachael Javes, Jarrod Bowditch and Arabella Gibson after receiving the award. Well done to Simone for that richly deserved award. She has committed 24 years of her life to supporting Australian parents experiencing perinatal mental health challenges, and the community continues to be grateful.