Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like so many locals growing up on the coast, I spent many long, hot summers swimming at the Entrance Ocean Baths with my brothers and sister. In 2018, our family was honoured when the Central Coast Council unanimously voted to rename the baths after my late father, Grant, in recognition of his campaign to save, restore and heritage list the baths in the early 2000s for our community. Before the last election, I committed to $250,000 towards the ocean baths as part of a broader $1 million package to revitalise the Entrance. Work has included new shade sails and upgrades to the clubhouse. New pumps and pipes have now significantly improved water quality, and I've heard from many locals when I'm at the baths myself who've told me what a difference this has made for regular swimmers; for visitors; for the Tuggerah Tuffs, which my father was a proud patron of; and for the Entrance Amateur Swimming Club. Towards the end of last year, the community came together to celebrate these upgrades. My brother Nick joined the swimming race, cheered on by his No. 1 fan, my mum, Barbie. A special thank you to my brother Iggi, who cooked the excellent barbecue, which was enjoyed by everybody.

I'm proud to have delivered on my election commitment of $100,000 for Wyong Tennis to resurface their main courts. I recently joined the Wednesday ladies tennis for a match, and they told me how much upgrades have improved play and safety and encouraged new members to join the club. Wyong Tennis has, for over a century, been a place for people to meet, play and stay active. It was the first place where I learnt to play tennis, and I'm so proud to have been able to make this commitment to Wyong District Tennis Association. I want to thank Leoni Baldwin from the tennis club for the work that she's done on behalf of that club and our community.

In case you didn't know, when it comes to food manufacturing, it's all happening on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Australian and globally recognised brands, like Sanitarium and Mars, produce some of our country's most beloved pantry staples and snacks right in the heart of my community. I'm so proud that, working alongside Central Coast Industry Connect and the University of Newcastle, I've been able to secure more than $17 million for the Ourimbah food manufacturing hub. This is government working together with industry and research to be able to provide significant investment in a quality project that will create hundreds of jobs in one of the biggest sectors in our community. Recently—just before Christmas, in fact—I had the opportunity to visit stage 1 of the hub, which has opened at the university's Ourimbah Campus, and work is well under way on the permanent home nearby. I congratulate Frank Zammit, Central Coast Industry Connect and all who have been part of this project.