In the wake of the shock resignation of Premier Barry O'Farrell and the unopposed party election of Mike Baird as premier and Gladys Berejiklian as deputy, many Riverina residents will being wanting to know what this change means for them.
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Not much, according to member for Wagga Daryl Maguire.
Mr Maguire said the party would continue Mr O'Farrell's work and do the best for NSW.
"We have taken NSW from the bottom to the top," Mr Maguire said.
While Mr Maguire's position as Parliamentary Secretary is in doubt, he said he believed Premier Baird would chose the best person for the job.
Mr Maguire quashed any suggestions of instability in the Liberal Party, saying the unanimous decision among party members to elect Mr Baird and Ms Berejiklian clearly demonstrated unity.
Despite this, Mr Maguire said it was a sad day for the party to see the departure of Mr O'Farrell.
Mr Maguire said the scandal involving what he described as the "cancerous Eddie O'Beid" had wrongly enveloped the Liberal Party.
"What you're seeing has occurred because of Labor," Mr Maguire said.
Mr Maguire said no one except those who had been in the position understood the pressure premiers face.
Commenting on his close relationship with Mr O'Farrell, Mr Maguire said the former premier had brought attention to regional and rural issues and he hoped this would continue under the new leadership.
Reacting to the news and what changes he hoped to see under the new leadership, Wagga Mayor Rod Kendall was very clear.
"Nothing, I hope," Cr Kendall said.
Describing his relationship with Mr O'Farrell as "very good", Cr Kendall said while he had yet to speak to Mr Baird he hoped it would be the same.
"We'll be making contact in the next week or so," Cr Kendall said.
Cr Kendall said he hoped regional development issues would be brought to the spotlight by the state government in the near future.
"When Mr O'Farrell said 3000 public service jobs were going to Western Sydney, I said congratulations, next time bring them to Riverina," he said.
Cr Kendall said Mr O'Farrell's attendance at regional events like Tumbatrek were significant and he would like to see this tradition continued by Mr Baird.
Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson was contacted by The Daily Advertiser, but was unavailable for comment.
