CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms McBRIDE (Dobell—Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health) (09:51): I rise today to speak about something close to my heart and something that is truly the backbone of this country: universal health care. The Albanese Labor government is making it easier for Australians to access the health care they need when they need it, close to home.

For me, close to home is the Central Coast of New South Wales, where the member for Shortland and I recently announced an additional $8.4 million to boost the Lake Haven Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. Thanks to this investment, the clinic has been able to bring on four additional doctors and extend its opening hours from 8 am in the morning to 10 pm at night, seven days a week.

That means more people on the Central Coast can access free urgent care close to home, without needing to visit the busy Wyong emergency department, for conditions that can be safely treated in the community. The member for Shortland and I made a commitment at the last election to strengthen this service, and it's fantastic to see the commitment being delivered through more doctors, longer opening hours and more local families getting the care they need.

We're already hearing stories about the difference this clinic is making. One of those stories is Shannon's. She recently visited the Lake Haven urgent care clinic with her six-week-old baby, Wynter.

Shannon told me that, when they arrived, they were offered a private room so Wynter was not surrounded by other sick patients. She said they were seen quickly and that the nurses and doctors were thorough, listened to her concerns and provided reassurance when she needed it most. Her message to me was simple: I will definitely be going back.

These are exactly the stories we want to hear—that of a person who needs care now, not later; receives the care with compassion and professionalism; and leaves knowing they got the help they needed. Another pillar of a strong community and a strong country is quality education. Every child deserves access to a quality education that gives them the best possible start in life.

They also deserve to learn in schools that are safe, welcoming and equipped with the resources they need to thrive. That is why I'm proud to have delivered on my commitment to support upgrades at local schools across our community. Ten schools across the electorate have now shared in more than $620,000 in funding for important improvements.

They are Gorokan Public School, Porters Creek Public School, Hopetown School, The Entrance Public School, TLK Youth College, Toukley Public School, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Wamberal Public School and Wyong Christian Community School. Thanks to this investment, these schools now have new shade sails, upgraded learning spaces, improved technology and even a new pickleball court, helping to create better environments for students to learn, grow and thrive.

While these projects may seem modest on their own, together they're making a real difference to the day-to-day lives of students, teachers and families on the Central Coast. These targeted investments are helping to create safer, healthier and more engaging learning environments.