The first sitting day of the new term will be held on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I will be joined by my wife Karen, children Georgie and Charlie, and our wider circle of family and friends as I make my maiden speech to the Parliament.

On a personal level it will be a very proud moment but once that speech is done I will be getting to work trying to achieve some outcomes for the electorate.

So much has been done in the Dubbo electorate during the past eight years under the former Member Troy Grant, but there is always more than can be done.

I have made a point of ensuring that I am doing my best for the entire region, and while the electoral district is named Dubbo I have already visited Narromine, Trangie and Stuart Town and have plans to visit Wellington, Mudgee, Trangie and the other localities within the electorate.

I said in the aftermath of the election that things had been a bit of a blur but over the past few weeks I have had the chance to meet with a lot of people, and I have a list of issues that I am keen to present to the Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Premier John Barilaro and the various ministers in the new cabinet.

Volunteers make up a huge part of any community, no matter how big or small, and I would like to encourage residents in the electorate to nominate someone for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.

The awards are now in their 13th year and celebrate the efforts of our state's volunteers across seven different award categories.

Nominations close on Friday, July 12, and more information can be found by visiting the website www.volunteering.com.au