At this year’s federal election, Gunnedah residents will be voting for candidates in Parkes after the Australian Electoral Commission this week  finalised its federal boundary changes for the state.

As part of the redistribution, Gunnedah will no longer be part of New England, currently the seat of agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce.

Mr Joyce has said he’s disappointed to lose Gunnedah from his seat, but would continue to do “whatever possible in serving this community that puts so much on the table for our nation”.

Mr Coulton is pleased about the outcomes, noting the area was part of his electorate in his first parliamentary term from 2007 to 2010.

“I have got family connections there. My mother grew up there and I spent a lot of time as a child in Gunnedah,” he said.

Mr Coulton said he would consult with Mr Joyce about the district ahead of this year’s election.

“At the macro level, there is obviously a bit of conflict between mining and some sections of the farming community, but Gunnedah, when I represented it, was one of the few towns in the north that was growing in population,” he told The Namoi Valley Independent.

Mr Coulton said about 80 per cent of his work was liaising with individuals within the electorate about issues.

He said if he was successful in the election, he would liaise regularly with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson and Member of the Legislative Council Sarah Mitchell, who lives in Gunnedah.