CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms McBRIDE (Dobell—Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health) (10:39): I rise today to speak about the best community in the country, the Central Coast of New South Wales, and how the Albanese Labor government is delivering for Dobell. One of the most significant achievements has been the opening of the new Tuggerah Medicare Mental Health Centre, right in the heart of our community.
This centre provides free, high-quality mental health support that would otherwise cost people hundreds of dollars—removing one of the biggest barriers to getting help when it's needed. But what really excites me most is not the building itself, although it is beautiful; it's the difference it's already making. We're seeing people come through the doors who would never have sought support.
Why? Because we're breaking down the barriers that stop people from getting help: cost, distance, time and stigma. The centre is welcoming, accessible and designed to meet people where they're at.
Let me tell you about Will—not his real name, for privacy reasons. Will is in his mid-20s. Like many young men, he has faced mental health challenges.
We know young men are often less likely to seek support, and the consequences can be devastating. But, because this service was there, because it was free, because it was easy to access and because it felt like a place where he could walk in and ask for help, Will did exactly that. That's what this is all about—people getting support earlier, people getting support closer to home, people getting support before they reach crisis point.
That is why this work matters—because strengthening Medicare isn't just about funding services. It's about making sure those services reach the people who need them most. Every young man like Will who walks through the door is proof that what we're doing is working.
That is what strengthening Medicare looks like, and that is what delivering for Dobell looks like. Another project making a real difference on the ground is the Central Coast Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub delivered by the Albanese government. From the name, people might think it's simply a large commercial kitchen.
In reality, it's a more than $17 million investment in local jobs, local manufacturing and the future of food production on the Central Coast. This state-of-the-art hub will mean local businesses can trial, test and scale up new products before taking them to markets across Australia and around the world. That means more opportunities for local entrepreneurs, more opportunities for local manufacturers and more opportunities for local workers.
The Central Coast is home to some outstanding food and beverage producers: Sanitarium, MasterFoods, Eastcoast juice. This hub, delivered in partnership with Central Coast Industry Connect, is giving them the tools they need to innovate, expand and compete. Importantly, it's also creating hundreds of local jobs both during construction and into the future as businesses grow and invest.
That is what economic development looks like—backing local talent, backing local industry, backing local jobs. Whether it's helping a young man access support or helping local businesses take their products to new markets, the common thread is simple: we're backing our community.