THE region has two dark horses in the race for the leadership of their respective parties, with Barnaby Joyce and his neighbouring Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon both considered an outside chance of having a crack at the top job.
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Mr Joyce, who was recently re-elected as New England MP with an increased margin, has refused to rule out another tilt at the National Party leadership, while on Tuesday morning Mr Fitzgibbon suggested he would put his hand up to steer the Labor Party.
With a new-look front bench expected to be announced in the coming days, it's possible Mr Joyce may contest Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack for the top job.
Asked during the campaign if he wanted his old job back, Mr Joyce replied: "That is not a discussion for an election".
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Mr Fitzgibbon, who suffered a 10 per cent swing against him in the formerly safe Labor seat, said the party's impending leadership contest was a "once in a generation opportunity to shift back to the sensible centre".
Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen have formally declared their intent to contest the vacant Labor Party leadership.
Mr Fitzgibbon, a leading figure in Labor's right faction, said he would talk to each of the candidates and seek a commitment to return the party to the centre of politics after a campaign promoting a "progressive" agenda.
"We need to re-engage with our blue-collar base and put more focus on regional and rural Australia. Our performance in the regions was abysmal," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"If no candidate commits to those things, I may have to consider running myself."