Member for Orange Phil Donato said the size of his win in Saturday's state election was bigger than he had hoped for.
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Mr Donato, the Shooters Fishers and Farmers party candidate, won 49.99 per cent of the vote, twice as much as what he received to win the Orange byelection in 2016.
"I was being realistic and being a bit conservative. To basically double that in two years, it exceeded by expectations," he said.
After completion of the initial vote on Monday, in Canowindra Mr Donato had received 506 votes, well ahead of National Party candidate Kate Hazelton with 377 votes.
Mr Donato said he was ready to hold the government to account for the next four years.
"Not much changes, it will be continuing what we're doing," he said.
Mr Donato said palliative care, flood-proofing the Newell Highway and constructing a heavy-vehicle bypass around Parkes were among his initial goals.
Mr Donato is expected to be in a better position of strength as his party looks to have added two more members in the lower house with wins in the western NSW seat of Barwon and the southern seat of Murray.
"Obviously three is better than one. It is going to be interesting to see what the final make-up of the parliament will be," he said.
However, Mr Donato said they would not be interesting in joining the government if it was in a minority. It currently needs to win one more seat to be able to govern in its own right in a majority.
"That's still the case. We'd rather not do that. Once you start forming coalitions you can compromise your electorate," he said.
Mr Donato said hard work during his first term was a key reason for his victory.
"I've tried to maximise my time in the community, attending the opening of everything we can," he said.
"I've been accessible and available," he said.
"I think it sends a strong message to the government and the National Party really that you don't need to be a member of the government to get the support of the community. You need to get out there and listen and work your butt off to get great outcomes for them," he said.
"Certainly, it sends a message that regional NSW has been screaming out for a conservative alternative.
"For too long the Nationals have held these seats and with time comes complacency and we've seen that in western NSW."
David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
