McBride “humbled” to be re-elected

Re-elected to continue representing the people of Dobell at the May 3 Federal election, Emma McBride takes nothing for granted.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, McBride was re-elected in 2019, again in 2022, and is now set for her fourth term, describing the victory as “humbling”.

“It’s one thing to be elected, but it’s another to be chosen to represent your community yet again,” she said on Monday.

“I am so very grateful for the support and confidence shown to me by the people of Dobell.”

McBride, who had previously held a slender 1.5% margin, enjoyed a 5.2% swing in her favour on a two-party preferred basis in the 2022 election and increased her margin even more this time around.

She said this had been the first time she had campaigned for re-election with her party in government.

“I did a lot of door-knocking, particularly in areas such as Lake Haven and Blue Haven,” she said.

“I was really encouraged by people’s response to the initiatives we had rolled out, particularly the Urgent Care Clinic at Lake Haven,” she said.

“But I never take anything for granted and was genuinely delighted on election night to see the support for Labor and our positive plan.”

McBride wasted no time getting back into the thick of it – the day after the election she was out in the community, supporting the Tuggerah Tuffs swimming club.

“What motivates me is the people in our community,” she said.

“They really care about one another and I enjoy being a strong voice in Canberra to speak up for our community, which has for a long time deserved more.”

McBride said she looked forward to seeing Labor’s pre-election pledges rolled out, particularly around Medicare and more mental health support.

“Trained as a pharmacist I did a lot of clinical work in mental health units prior to being elected to Parliament,” she said.

“I saw many people end up in crisis because there was no support close to home and I look forward to our mental health initiatives being rolled out.”

These include the Medicare Mental Health Centre at Tuggerah being upgraded to a full service and Headspace in Gosford being upgraded to a Headspace Plus.

McBride said addressing the cost-of-living crisis would continue to be a priority for her personally and for the government as a whole.

“I am keen to see additional tax cuts, more energy cuts, more affordable housing and better access to childcare rolled out,” she said.

“I will also focus on mental health and health more broadly.

Terry Collins