Murray O'Keefe was recently elected to chair the party's Tamworth State Electoral Council (SEC), taking the baton off the long-serving Jim Booth.

"Jim has done a fantastic job regrowing the Nationals organisation and local branches in the Tamworth electorate," Mr O'Keefe said.

The Gunnedah chair said local party branches were excited to see Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson elevated to the cabinet.

"That extra burden and responsibility can certainly put time pressures on the member," Mr O'Keefe said.

"It's the job of the branch members and the SEC to make sure we are out and about in the community.

"Not all 55,000 people in the electoral can personally know and see Kevin on a day-to-day basis.

"But they can know an active member of the party, someone to have a yarn to about what's going on, and someone to put their issues forward."

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