His incendiary speech to the Nationals' state conference in Inverell could be dismissed as nothing more than a bit of political theatre if the timing was not so odd.

Back before then-NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley's campaign ran off the rails, the NSW Coalition was thought to be in serious trouble as the state election loomed.

There was talk of a wipeout in the bush and a big swing against the Liberals in the city, of a population weary of privatisation and perpetual Sydney construction and policy U-turns rising up and putting Labor back into government.

And then, in March, it didn't happen.

The Coalition hardly romped it in, but the NSW Liberals and Nationals were less troubled by Labor than most had predicted.

And though the Nats lost three seats, and failed to win back Orange, Mr Barilaro was generally credited as having delivered a reasonable result.

(At one stage, remember, he was meant to be in doubt to retain his own seat of Monaro, though he held it comfortably in the end.)

With all that in mind, Mr Barilaro's Inverell speech - in which he threatened his own Coalition partner and seemed to confirm country voters' simmering suspicions that they aren't getting their fair share - was, at best, jarring.

Mr Barilaro, as NSW Nationals leader, is right to want to fight to ensure country NSW gets what it needs and is right to want to ensure that rural voices are heard.

Part of his job description is to scrap and argue and thump tables for those who live on the other side of the Blue Mountains.

But these are fights he should be having behind closed doors, within the government.

He's not in impotent opposition, he's in power.

And having a public spat with his leader, three months after voters were asked to return her as premier of this state, makes his government look messy and distracted.

Have our politicians not yet received the message about how we feel about them talking about themselves?

Above all, hearing Mr Barilaro lament that the bush is being ignored begs this important question of the Member for Monaro: if that's the case, why haven't you done anything about it before now?