I was very sad to learn that the Cessnock Ex-service Club had closed. I’m old enough to remember the days when it was difficult to gain entry into “The Exies” such was its popularity. Clayton Barr and I have been speaking with Clubs NSW and the Administrator about strategies to ensure everyone receives what they are owed from the cessation of business, including those in the “Funeral Fund”. We’ll keep you posted.

I'm writing from Parliament House in Canberra where Parliament is supposed to be sitting. The decision to cancel the House of Representatives sittings was extraordinary. Indeed it is without precedent to do so in the absence of the likes of a natural disaster, terrorism event or war.

The reason?  The Government would have been two votes short this week and was at risk of losing votes on issues like penalty rates and our attempts to establish a Royal Commission into the banks.

Parliament will resume next week and another week will be added to the program to make up for the week lost. That will cause MPs to miss many important commitments in our electorates. Among them the end-of-year school presentations and community group Christmas functions.  It's a shame we will miss the chance to acknowledge local school achievers and to thank all those who spend much of their year helping others.

Thanks to all those who attended my most recent NDIS forum. The NDIS has been a disappointment for too many and I’ll continue to do all I can to make it the scheme we had all hoped for. 

One Nation had a bad night in the Queensland election, but their high primary vote in a number of electorates highlights an ongoing level of discontent among voters. Major parties need to acknowledge that not everyone who votes One Nation is a crazy or racist. Rather, that many people are feeling economically worse off than they were five years ago. Politicians who try to tell struggling families they've never had it so good do so at their peril.