Mr Coulton will also remain as Assistant Trade and Investment Minister following Prime Minister Scott Morrison's ministerial line-up announcement on Sunday.

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He said his appointment to the ministry came as a surprise, but he is pleased to have been promoted.

"Initially for the first couple of weeks I'll be in Canberra more but ultimately I'll have responsibilities around Australia," he said.

"The job that I have as the Member for Parkes takes priority over everything else and I need to be able to manage these extra responsibilities as well as those that come with being the local member."

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After being sworn in, Mr Coulton said he will move to "hit the ground running" and hire a team of staff to help design and implement the government's policy agenda.

Mr Coulton said the relocation of whole or part government departments to rural or regional areas is something he would consider as Minister.

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Helping councils fix infrastructure, getting more doctors to the bush, improving the National Broadband Network, reducing the number of blackspots and dealing with a shortage of skilled workers will also be priorities for the former Gwydir Shire Mayor.

"There's not just one magic policy that will fix it all but we'll be looking at a multitude of things," he said.