Portfolio — 31 March 2026

The Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Ms Emma McBride, used a parliamentary statement to profile three distinct government delivery items for the Central Coast, spanning veteran welfare, women's health, and early childhood education.

On veterans, the Assistant Minister reported that the Central Coast Veteran and Family Hub serves over 8,000 veterans and their families through employment assistance, social connection, advocacy, and mental and physical health support [TA-260331-house-66782c600be9:s092]. She noted that the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel had recently visited the hub to present certificates of appreciation, highlighting Jamie, an Iraq veteran now working as a services navigator at the facility — a detail that personalised the hub's employment outcomes within the veteran community.

The most time-sensitive announcement concerned women's health: an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic opening on 13 April at the Central Coast Community Women's Health Centre in Wyoming [TA-260331-house-66782c600be9:s092]. The clinic will offer multidisciplinary care covering endometriosis, pelvic pain, perimenopause, and menopause. The Assistant Minister framed this as part of the government's national rollout of 33 such clinics, backed by an almost $800 million women's health investment [TA-260331-house-66782c600be9:s092].

The imminent opening date gives this item the sharpest near-term salience of the three.

On early childhood education, the Assistant Minister noted that Central Coast children are now eligible for three days per week of subsidised early education and care under the government's three-day guarantee. She explicitly contrasted this with the former Liberal government's activity test, which had conditioned access on parental work or study status — a framing that positions the reform as a universality measure rather than a participation incentive.

Across all three items, the statement functioned as a local delivery inventory for the Central Coast electorate, linking national program commitments to specific community assets and opening dates. The cross-portfolio reach is notable: the Assistant Minister's statement touched veterans affairs (referencing the Minister for Veterans' Affairs), women's health (her own portfolio domain), and early childhood education (a separate portfolio), suggesting a coordinated effort to consolidate multiple government delivery narratives within a single local context.