Bathurst Labor Branch president Sue West says Albanese government will cooperate with opposition seats

Collaboration will be key to Mr Albanese's first term as Prime Minister, with the new Labor government set to sit alongside the largest crossbench ever seen in Australia's lower house.

READ MORE: PM Albanese seeks to form first cabinet

But Bathurst Labor Branch president Sue West says she has high hopes the Albanese government will be up to the challenge.

"I've known Albo for many decades, and he has developed into a conscientious, caring and compassionate person, which is sure to come to the fore with his government's policies," Ms West said.

"The crossbench is huge, yes, but they're going to have to learn to respect each other's opinions and put their individual mandates aside to work with the government for the country's benefit."

The local talking point from the election will be how Labor looks upon investment in the Calare electorate, which has stayed firmly in Nationals hands.

READ ALSO: Calare MP Andrew Gee will not contest Nationals leadership at Monday's party room vote

Despite this, Ms West, herself a former federal senator for NSW, said Calare voters can expect fair treatment from the new government.

"The new ministers won't dismiss any representations from the Calare MP. That's not the way it works," she said.

"You have to work co-operatively with everyone in parliament, regardless of whether they're in government or opposition, and I feel Andrew Gee will be treated with the respect due to a local MP and his electorate."

Ms West said a raft of Labor policies in the fields of aged care, disability care and housing affordability will be of firm interest to residents in the region.

"When you look at Labor's aged care policies, the 'as-soon-as-practical' employment of more registered nurses has fantastic ramifications for residents in nursing homes and retirement villages," she said.

"There's a lot of people who are having difficulties negotiating the National Disability Insurance Scheme [NDIS] setup and structure, and any improvements will result in a better quality of life for people with a disability and their families.

"Labor also wants to work with low-to-middle income first-home buyers to get into their own homes sooner and look at addressing the horrific shortage of rental accommodation."

READ ALSO: Bathurst council to use NSW Electoral Commission services for 2024 election

Ms West said the issue of housing affordability in particular is not solely limited to metropolitan areas.

"Through my volunteer work in Bathurst and around the region, it's evident the range of accessible and affordable rental accommodation for people on low-to-middle incomes is appalling," she said.

"People are being charged more for their rent than they get in welfare benefits, so there's a real opportunity for the new government to improve the cost of living for regional citizens."

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