RE-ELECTED Shortland MP Pat Conroy said new Labor leader Anthony Albanese was a champion of regional Australia, despite his Sydney upbringing.
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In the fallout from Labor's federal election loss, Member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, said he wanted Labor leadership candidates who would commit to better representing regional Australia and coal mining.
"I'd actually like to see a leader who doesn't live in the capital cities. You have to go back to Malcolm Fraser to find one on the Liberal side, and you'd have to go back to Ben Chifley on the Labor side," he said.
Mr Conroy this week said Mr Albanese's rise to the party leadership was great news for regions such as Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast.
"No one has been a greater advocate for the regions than Anthony Albanese," Mr Conroy said.
"He has been a Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government."
On Sunday, Mr Albanese announced Labor's new outer shadow ministry.
He named Mr Conroy as Labor's shadow minister for international development and the Pacific, and shadow minister assisting for climate change and defence.
Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, was named shadow assistant minister for mental health and carers.
Mr Conroy said he would continue to be a strong voice for Shortland.
Locals could expect him "to stand against the attacks the current government will inflict on our region, whether it's high energy bills due to their appalling vacuum on energy policy, more cuts to the public service that will make it harder for pensioners to get help at Centrelink, or their continual undermining of Medicare".
