The Nationals' Barnaby Joyce has successfully made the switch to parliament's lower house but says Warren Truss will remain party leader as long as he wants to.
The high-profile former senator will return to Canberra after winning the House of Representatives seat of New England in NSW.
Mr Joyce has made no secret of his ambition to one day lead the party but says he's behind Mr Truss' leadership.
"He's supported by me, he's supported by everybody," Mr Joyce told ABC radio on Sunday.
"All the rest is all hypotheticals way, way, way, way, way down the track.
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"And at that point in time I have no doubt that a whole range of people would want to be leader."
He says he has told Mr Truss that he can stay leader "for as long as he wants".
"It is absolutely essential, not for the National party but for our nation, that the experience and the capacity that Warren has is in the cabinet room," Mr Joyce said.
"He's calm and considered - that is what this nation is going to need."
Meanwhile, Mr Joyce said mining magnate Clive Palmer, who looks set to claim the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax, had proven himself to be "tactically extremely astute".
But he's not convinced that Mr Palmer will make a good local member.
"I just can't see Clive turning up to open the school fete and to be worrying about the issues that are at the realm of a local member," Mr Joyce said.
"He may or he may not get up at Fairfax but when he gets up, I don't know whether he's going to enjoy the job he gets."
