Team Nationals has re-formed under Barnaby Joyce, but are they actually uniting?

And while things have quietened down somewhat, the change of leader - to a man more than happy to take on the Liberal Party - is likely to have ongoing ramifications for Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the stability of the Coalition.

Also for the party itself. Insiders fear the coup - in toppling an elected leader - will take generations to fix. Remembering that Federal Labor is still working through the ramifications of the Kevin Rudd - Julia Gillard - Kevin Rudd period.

Well-regarded dumped Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton did what he always does and backed the leader in the leadership spill and now he is peppered with the same query; "what happened?!"

"I say good question!" the Member for Parkes said to The Canberra Times as he looked over his 300 head of cattle.

He is disappointed in the still smouldering wreckage of Michael McCormack's leadership and says he could not - and still does not - see the necessity for change.

With the next federal election in mind, Barnaby's backers say they were unhappy with Mr McCormack's performance and are standing apart from the Liberal Party over climate change action - they are now not publicly backing Mr Morrison's ambition to achieve net zero emission "preferably" by 2050.

"I'm just not sure of the problem that needed to be fixed," Mr Coulton said. "I think the next election will be decided on how we manage COVID and the roll-out."

"Time will tell."

Still, Mr Coulton says he is not going to "be sooking in a corner" and now is not a time for anyone in the party to "throw toys out of cots."

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That team player pledge is needed - and it will be from Mr McCormack and all the others who were the losers when Mr Joyce rose again to the nation's second most powerful job - but it is also important to take stock.

"This is the greatest act of political treachery in 100 years of the National Party," dumped Minister Darren Chester told The Canberra Times.

Mr Chester also backed Mr McCormack in the spill and paid the price. The Member for Gippsland and former Veterans Affairs Minister apologised to regional Australians in the immediate aftermath of the leadership change saying they should expected more from elected representatives.

"This is not how normal people treat each other," he said.

The power dynamic of the 21 members of the Nationals was turned upside down as a three-year guerrilla campaign to enact political revenge exploded into a coup. This is not a one-off event and you don't have to go too far back in time.

"This is a pretty persistent issue with the Nationals," ANU political scientist Jill Sheppard said. "They lose focus. They seem to forget what their electorate is. And they devolve into this kind of mindless infighting."

"These were the problems under John Anderson's leadership. There were problems under Mark Vaile's leadership and Warren Truss's leadership.

"I think two things make this a little bit different and a little bit more salacious. One is Barnaby Joyce and nothing around Barnaby happens quietly. And the second is that this is all coming to light in a time when gendered harassment and discrimination are so salient in the population."

In a blatantly transactional move, Mr Joyce rewarded his backers by promoting them to Cabinet.

Former New South Wales MP and barrister Andrew Gee has been one of two big winners, catapulted into Cabinet at the expense of Darren Chester in the Veteran's portfolio.

Bridget McKenzie also stands out for various controversies, not least as the Victorian is the only southern Nat to outright support Mr Joyce. Until now - due to the sport rorts scandal and her membership of a gun club which received a grant - she has been the only Morrison government minister forced to resign for breaching ministerial standards.

But just 18 months later she is back with a super regional portfolio spread of Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education. She is also responsible for emergency management and drought, but it will be interesting to hear how she approaches regionalisation as the government continues its decentralisation agenda - another favourite issue of Joyce's.

Dr David Gillespie also returns as Minister for Regional Health and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment. Tony Abbott's best man is a doctor specialising in gastroenterology and now fronts the regional COVID-19 response.

The other three players to watch are Deputy Nationals Leader David Littleproud, Keith Pitt - who moved out of cabinet but kept resources and Water - and Senator Matt Canavan, Barnaby's closest political ally and a former cabinet minister who will likely return to cabinet one day.

Mr Littleproud is waiting in the wings. He's the clear heir apparent and is one of the party's best performers, has a busy portfolio in agriculture and at 45, he has a lot of time on his side. (The joke in Maranoa is that they weigh his vote, rather than counting it.).

Mr Pitt played a part in McCormack's downfall - despite being in Cabinet he made a point of saying he had not been consulted over the government's position on climate change - but took a step back. The Member for Hinkler is ambitious and doubtless, he has plans to return.

Senator Canavan is the most intriguing. The Queenslander wields a lot of influence and would be the most likely rival to Mr Littleproud for leader - if he was in the House, not the Senate. It's not impossible to envisage a shift one day, either.

Dr Sheppard says Barnaby Joyce is anything but subtle.

"He doesn't seem to really care what his internal colleagues think about him and that's driven his entire career," she said.

"He started off his parliamentary career by constantly antagonising John Howard, and it's done well.

"It's obviously been successful with Nationals voters. It's seen him move from the senate to the lower house. It seen him cross states. he has had one of the most individually successful political careers in recent history and that's despite massive controversies and this almost inveterate need to needle his internal colleagues."

The seeds of future tensions are present.

There has not been any post-coup discussions as a party. The Nationals will gather again in August when federal parliament comes back from the long winter break.

The Canberra Times sought an interview with the Deputy Prime Minister for this article, but he declined.

Mark Coulton says it will be good to know the direction the party is now going. He says he is prepared to see how the new Nationals ministers go and says people are relying on them to succeed.

"I won't do anything that hinders that," he said. "I want programs to run and evolve. I want to be part of the team."

And Mr Coulton has a warning - he says Australian farmers are not rednecks and care deeply about the environment and climate change. It is their lives and livelihoods and points to action on sustainable farming practices.

"Is it important we don't lose our way," he stated. "We should not chase minority issues."

But that's far from a unanimous view in the Nationals party room.

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