Roy Butler, who wrested control of Barwon from the Nationals at last weekend's election, said the victory was the culmination of a long campaign. He spend almost a year on a listening tour, and was on the road full time since November.

"I think I spent about seven days in my own bed in the past five months," he said.

Mr Butler said "the key issue everywhere was water", including its management and the protection of groundwater from coal seam gas.

"The fact that the government kept blaming the water situation on the drought was driving people nuts, because locals knew better," he said.

"The more times the government said drought, the better it was for me."

READ MORE

Health was another electorate-wide issue, with Mr Butler unearthing statistics that showed 20 years ago, regional NSW residents lived longer than those in Sydney, however now rural people are dying five years earlier on average, and the average life expectancy has gone backwards.

"It's consistent with the experience out here that the government has let our health services slip away," Mr Butler said.

"Our hospitals out here are more like first-aid posts. They'll give you a band-aid and some Panadol, but if you need a fracture set or a baby delivered, you have to travel two to four hours away.

"And when you're discharged, you often have to find your own way home at your own expense.

"It's just another example of the dud deal we're getting with health services, which would never happen in Sydney."

Have your say. Click this link to write a letter to the editor

Mr Butler said he would continue getting around the electorate, and not just the big communities.

"I went to Corinda, where there is maybe 100 people, and most of them came to the pub to talk about their issues," he said.

"The big one was the local pool. It had a crack in it, and wasn't filled for summer. I took that up with the local mayor who is located in Lightning Ridge and got that sorted.

"They loved it, in some places I had people tell me they'd been there for 30 or 40 years and no one, not candidate or politician, had come to see them.

"These smaller communities are resilient and they don't ask for much. The least we can do is help them with the few things they do ask for."

Mr Butler said the grassroots back-to-basics approach was a big part of his campaign strategy. 

"I had shirts made up with my name on the front and back, which I wore while I was doing the grocery shopping," he said.

"I had a lot of people see the shirt and strike up a conversation with me. It gave me a good handle on what is really important to people.

READ MORE: Live coverage of how election day unfolded locally

"At the end of the day, [winning Barwon] had little to do with me and more to do with the people who swung in behind me."

Many, including the SFF, were expecting a hung parliament where the party would hold the balance of power.

While that hasn't happened, Mr Butler said the party held the balance in the Upper House with other minor parties.

"We'll do what we can to negotiation or be reasonable and if they don't play nice, we'll use the balance of power in the Upper House," he said.

"The government made a stack of election promises, which were conditional on the government being returned. I'll be looking to them to honour every commitment to the dollar.

"And if they want this seat back, they're going to have to spend a bunch more in the next four years."