The National Party hopes its future lies in the hands of a young, third-generation Queensland politician, who has championed regional communities and talked up trade agreements ever since he had access to a microphone.
Born and raised in regional Queensland, David Littleproud started his career in the banking sector, working in various regional Queensland towns, but never straying far from his hometown.
"Chinchilla made me who I am today," he said in his maiden speech to parliament in 2016.
Compared to his current colleagues, David Littleproud may have relatively little experience in parliament, but, as he was quick to announce in his most recent speech, and first as party leader — he was born into it.
"I joined the National Party as a six-year-old boy … hanging out for my father at the Chinchilla courthouse as he tried to become a member for Condamine."
The Littleproud political dynasty spans three generations, and all three tiers of government.
His grandfather George was deputy mayor of Chinchilla, and his father Brian served in the Queensland state parliament as the member for Condamine — and later Western Downs — from 1983 until 2001.
"It has been the National party that has guided me to who I am," the younger Littleproud said yesterday.
'Always looking forward'
David Littleproud entered parliament in 2016, replacing long-standing member for Maranoa Bruce Scott.
Mr Scott welcomed this week's news, and told the Queensland Country Hour Littleproud's strength was "his ability to listen to people and make change … he's always looking forward".
He said it was time the Nationals were seen as a party for the whole country.
"It's not only about standing up for the regional and rural people, it's about how you need the support of the city people as well to see us as a stronger, and a much better, nation going forward," Mr Scott said.
Now, as Littleproud takes the reins of that same party, he does so with a relatively clean slate.
"I think the Littleproud ideology is still evolving," political commentator, and Griffith University associate professor, Paul Williams said.
"I suspect he'll get onboard with the main agenda of 'farmers can get rich out of free trade'."
Mr Littleproud said the party would uphold its net-zero climate change commitment.
"I think he knows to cling to 'human made climate change isn't real', or to adopt a right-wing conspiracy attitude from climate change to culture wars, is going to alienate [the Nationals] from middle-Australia, and not make them a very helpful coalition partner," Mr Williams said.
"Recent National Party leaders, and other senior Nationals, seem to have gone the way of the Liberals, and been dancing to a mining tune rather than an agricultural and pastoralist tune, and I think that's what got them into trouble."
So why not Barnaby?
If Littleproud's ascension to the leadership of the Nationals was a surprise to some, it wasn't to the Queensland political scientist.
It is the first time both leaders of both conservative parties in a coalition hail from the sunshine state.
"It's probably a no-brainer that the next party leader of the Nationals would have come from Queensland," Paul Williams said.
"So it was probably no surprise that Littleproud would see off Darren Chester.
"It was always on the cards that Barnaby Joyce would be defeated given that some liberal moderates are blaming him and Matt Canavan and George Christensen for extremism and alarmism over climate change for driving voters into the arms of the teals."
Mr Williams said Littleproud could not afford to make the same mistake as Michael McCormack and "slip under the radar".
"He needs to keep his head above the parapet, and needs to be an equal partner with Dutton," he said.
He expects the public will see a much more visible junior coalition member, and fans of the former Agricultural Minister's sound bites may rejoice.
"I think they'll ramp up," Paul Williams said.
