A cabinet promotion for third-term Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson means the seat will be held by a front-bencher for the first time in 51 years.
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Mr Anderson was named in 24-person coalition ministry on Sunday, set to be sworn in early this week.
The Tamworth MP will take the reins of the better regulation and innovation portfolio, a ministry created in 2015 and held exclusively by Liberal MPs.
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As the minister, Mr Anderson will jointly oversee the NSW department of financial services and innovation, but his new title has left some scratching their heads about what the role will entail.
Regardless, Mr Anderson will become the first Tamworth-based NSW minister since Bill Chaffey was the agriculture minister in 1968.
Mr Anderson told the Leader he would make sure the promotion would lift the entire electorate up.
"This is very exciting for us up here in the Tamworth electorate, because it's a new platform to be able to push our cause for regional NSW directly into cabinet," he said.
With neighbouring politicians Adam Marshall and Sarah Mitchell promoted to high profile portfolios, agriculture and education respectively, Mr Anderson deflected claims it was a part of a ploy to sharpen the coalition's focus on regional areas following a poor showing in some western seats.
"I've never looked to seek higher office ... and to be promoted, I think the community are to be congratulated," he said.
"They are the ones who got behind me like they did."
Mr Anderson's recent state election combatants were congratulatory on the promotion, but remained sceptical about what it would mean for the city.
"It doesn't detract from the fact that the hard work still needs to happen," Shooter, Fishers and Farmers' candidate Jeff Bacon said.
Mr Bacon said he will stand for pre-selection in the 2023 state election and vowed to keep the "pressure on Minister Anderson to fulfil the promises" made in the most recent campaign.
On the ministerial shifts made across the New England and North West, Mr Bacon said the government were "forced to act".
"They really didn't have a choice not promoting in key regional seats, otherwise that would play right in to the narrative," he said.
He held concerns having an MP in cabinet would lead to a diminished sense representation in the electorate due to wider responsibilities.
It was a fear shared by independent opponent Mark Rodda.
But he also hoped it could lead to an influx of investment, commensurate with the government spending Adam Marshall attracted to his electorate in recent state budgets, which Mr Rodda likened to having the "streets paved with gold".
"Congratulations to Kevin, he's been there long enough prove to his deputy premier and premier that he is able to be relied upon to vote the right way," he said.
"I think the problem with ministries is they tend to take local members from their electorate a lot more as they have responsibility around the entire state.
"But at least having someone really inside the tent of government, hopefully he's able to enunciate what the electorate needs."
In a statement, newly-appointed ag minister Adam Marshall acknowledged the challenges ahead of him and the sector with the ongoing drought.
"Given the continued poor seasonal outlook across the state, I will be looking quickly at the suite of assistance programs for our farmers and farming communities," Mr Marshall said.