Local National MPs remain tight-lipped after the public spat with the Liberals, as everyone waits to see whether the party's reputation in the New England has been bolstered or battered.
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The Nationals' Tamworth branch chairman Ian Coxhead said party members, developers and farmers like himself were all waiting on "tenterhooks" for the result of the parliamentary discussions on the State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP).
The public display of division within the coalition saw the Nationals' leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro concede to Premier Gladys Berejiklian's Friday ultimatum to get his MPs off the crossbench or be sacked.
"I think any public spat that is out there for everyone to comment on, there are negatives and positives," Mr Coxhead explained.
"I believe that's the way it was meant to be - but it wasn't a resolution."
If there was no other way forward, well something had to be done before it got too bedded down into final legislation ... we are now on tenterhooks.
- Ian Coxhead
When asked by the Leader if he thought this disagreement - over koalas - could change the political landscape of the region, he conceded the potential was there as it had been in Murray and Barwon.
Both were won off the Nats by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers in the last election.
"Take the Greyhound industry: the Nats sided with the Libs to close that down, and so they lost the Orange election; between that and council amalgamations people turned away from Nats in those areas," he said.
"It's then, who do they [voters] support? The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers are the next conservative party ... and they've already been given the nod in those two others [electorates]."
He said Mr Barilaro had to go to bat for regional and rural farmers before "it was too late".
"If there was no other way forward, well something had to be done before it got too bedded down into final legislation ... we are now on tenterhooks," he said.
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It all hinges now on whether the party's' recommendations will be adopted.
Nationals party NSW ex-chairman Bede Burke wouldn't be drawn on saying whether this would jeopardise the Nats' position in our electorate, but was resolute in saying Mr Barilaro had the "total support of the party."
State National MPs Kevin Anderson, Adam Marshall and Sarah Mitchell were all contacted for comment.
