This week member for Riverina, Michael McCormack lost the National Party leadership and subsequently the deputy prime minister role to fellow National's member Barnaby Joyce.

Members of the agricultural community and local government have thanked Mr McCormack for his commitment to the role and now the question is whether the Riverina will be better off.

In the eastern Riverina, representation from the National Party and visits from Mr McCormack were frequent.

Lockhart Shire Council Mayor Rodger Schirmer said he was grateful for the accessibility to Mr McCormack.

"I sent Michael a text message (this week) congratulating him on his leadership of the National Party and his role as deputy PM," Mr Schirmer said.

In terms of putting quantifiable benefits into rural and regional Australia Mr Schirmer said Mr McCormack had done an exemplary job.

"Local government has benefited greatly from National Party policies with funding of critical infrastructure," he said.

"We will be eternally grateful to (these policies) for making our shires better places," he said.

Looking to the future, Mr Schirmer said the seat of Riverina would continue to benefit from Mr McCormack's political role.

Lockhart Shire was named as 'kindest' and 'happiest' location in Australia in the Bond University's Happiness project. The shire was also home to former deputy prime minister the late Tim Fischer.

Mr Fischer, who died in 2019, was known for his political clout and longevity. Mr Schirmer said Mr Fischer was well versed in the ways of politics.

In comparing the recent role of deputy prime minister with Mr McCormack and Mr Fischer he said both individuals were straight forward and spoke their mind.

BACK in 2018 Michael McCormack, as acting prime minister at the time, visited long-time acquaintance Peter Yates and his family at "Windana," Yerong Creek.

The property set the backdrop for an announcement about the Common Roads, Common Sense road safety campaign.

It was funded with $250,000 from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator's (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) program, with support from the Federal Liberal and Nationals' Government.

These on-farm and on-site visits often earned the praise of those in the electorate.

Mr McCormack has a reputation for being energetic and willing to get out into rural and regional areas.

The Riverina would be an ideal home for a federal agriculture minister.

The seat of Riverina is a National's stronghold, and ideally the location also ticks all the boxes for progress in the rural sector.

The Riverina is Australia's most influential food bowl with the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and all of the valuable produce it is known for.

So it's fitting that a politician with an affinity for agriculture would do well in this region.

Wagga is also home to the largest sheep and lamb selling centre in the southern hemisphere.

From big political issues of the past such as scrapping of the single desk selling system for wheat, through to the relentless chaos of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the Riverina is an ideal platform to springboard any of these discussions.

All of talk about the National's leadership challenge this week and the success of Barnaby Joyce in overthrowing member for Riverina Michael McCormack gives us plenty of opportunities to think about.

Having Mr McCormack in Wagga is good for business. He was comfortable in the rural setting and had an energy that was admirable.

In 2019, while in Lockhart for an energy project, Mr McCormack quickly took a tough stance on the high-profile activity conducted by animal activists under the banner of Dominion.

Mr McCormack staunchly defended the farming community and was open about welfare and best practice.