For 70 years, she reigned as Australia's Head of State. During her reign, The Queen visited Australia 16 times and saw more of this country than most Australians, visiting every state and territory.

The Queen consulted with 16 Prime Ministers and 16 Governors-General served in her name. She was the patron of more than 20 Australian charities and associations.

The Prime Minister this week announced a public holiday for September 22 as part of the National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty, The Queen.

Those wishing to sign a condolence book in recognition of The Queen's remarkable lifetime of service are welcome to do so at my office at 3 Edward Street, Cessnock during business hours or you can do it online at /www.pmc.gov.au/condolence-form

The condolences will be collated and sent to Buckingham Palace. The messages will also be archived by the Commonwealth and may be displayed at its national institutions, such as the National Library of Australia, to form a lasting record of this moment in history.

The Parliamentary Sitting has been rescheduled to coincide with the National Day of Mourning in Canberra.

Unfortunately, that meant my first speech has been delayed and is now place on Tuesday 27 September at around 4:20pm.

You can watch the speech live on the Parliament Houser website at www.aph.gov.au or follow my social media pages and I will provide the links.

September is Rural Road Safety Month and with school holidays approaching we should reflect on the additional risks when driving on rural and remote roads across Australia.

Currently rural road crashes account for more than 65 per cent of the National road toll. I recently joined the Parliamentary Friends of Road Safety and the Australian Road Safety Foundation to make a promise to choose road safety. We got to make our pledge on a pretty cool blow-up car. You too can take the pledge at www.arsf.com.au/road-safety-promise.

On the weather front, the Bureau of Meteorology has just declared a third consecutive La Nia season.

Due to the already wet soil, high rivers and full dams across the State there is a HIGH RISK of flooding and we are urging all NSW residents to prepare now. Make sure you are prepared now and have a plan: https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/disaster-tabs-header/flood/

My electorate-wide newsletter is hitting mailboxes right across the Hunter electorate this week and will provide up to date information about issues across the electorate.

As always, my office is open and ready to assist you with any Federal Government issues you may have. I look forward to hearing from you and working with our community to deliver for the Hunter.

You can keep up to date with everything that is happening in Parliament and across the Hunter electorate by following my social media channels.

If you have any issues or questions relating to any Federal Government departments or any of the work being done in Parliament, please make sure you get in touch through my office on 4991 1022.

For more information visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/DanRepacholi or website: www.alp.org.au/our-people/our-people/dan-repacholi .

Dan Repacholi is the Federal Member for Hunter