The new federal Labor Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi has declared he is in the House to be a "big voice for the Hunter" and said his position on coal does not put him at odds with the rest of the ALP.
Mr Repacholi is among the 35 new House of Representatives members of the class of '22 taking part in parliamentary orientation or "pollie school" this week ahead of parliament returning in late July.
The gold medal winning Olympic shooter and coal miner was elected to replace veteran Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon at the May 21 election. He is one of 17 new members of the Labor caucus.
With a wry smile, Mr Repacholi told reporters that one of the big differences is that people at Parliament House are calling him "Mr" now.
"Mr Repacholi is different. Yeah, that's my dad and my grandfather. So that's been quite different," he said.
But asked if his solid support for the mining industry is at odds with the Labor party, which is attempting in government to put an end to the climate wars, he replied "most certainly not" and said there was certainly room for him in the Labor caucus.
"I'm here to be a big voice for the Hunter and to make sure that we don't get left behind," he told reporters.
"And it's great that we've got a coal miner here that can actually talk about what is happening in the industry and knows about the industry."
He also revealed he talks to Mr Fitzgibbon on a regular basis.
