NSW Liberal Minister Pru Goward announces retirement
NSW Liberal Minister Pru Goward will retire at the state election in March 2019 revealing her 87-year-old husband is “very unwell” and “now is the time to be with my family”.
HAILED as a fearless “trailblazer” who fought tirelessly for the rights of women, children, and disadvantaged NSW families, Liberal cabinet minister Pru Goward will quit politics at the 2019 state election after almost 12 years in office.
Ms Goward, 66, fought back tears yesterday during an emotional press conference where she revealed her 87-year-old husband David Barnett was “very unwell”, saying: “now is the time to be with my family”.
But the shock announcement – made after Ms Goward was preselected for the seat of Goulburn, held on a margin of 6.6 per cent – has put the Liberal Party under the pump to find a replacement before the election in March.
“It was a very, very difficult decision to make and one I am making in the best interests of my family,” she said, adding her circumstances had changed “quite quickly” over the last few weeks.
Ms Goward, the Minister for Family and Community Services, Social Housing and the state’s first Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, has pushed for greater awareness about the importance of seeking consent before sex.
The issue has received worldwide media attention as part of the #MeToo movement and Ms Goward launched the state’s first Sexual Assault Strategy earlier this year.
A Liberal source said Ms Goward’s daughter Penny Fischer was being considered as a possible candidate but the party would prefer someone else because of community concerns.
“She is a wonderful young woman and I think she’s an ideal role model but any decisions are a decision for the party,” Ms Goward said yesterday.
Ms Fischer attempted to secure Liberal preselection for the seat of Wollondilly earlier this year but was defeated.
The former Camden councilor is the sister of celebrity Kate Fischer, who once dated billionaire James Packer before changing her name to Tziporah Malkah.
Another name potentially in the mix is former Boorowa mayor Wendy Tuckerman, who last year tried to run as the Nationals representative in the Cootamundra by-election.
Neither Ms Fischer or Ms Tuckerman responded to requests for comment.
It’s understood the new candidate – who will be endorsed and not preselected – will be chosen within the next 48 hours with Liberal headquarters due to shut down for the year on Friday.
Ms Fischer is second NSW minister to announce her retirement at the state election in March, following Police Minister and Nationals MP Troy Grant.
Ms Goward said she was “very confident” the government would hold on to the seat of Goulburn despite her exit.
“It’s a seat that has enjoyed enormous support from the government and regional NSW knows they have had an investment and an interest in their seats that they’ve never seen before,” she said.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian also said she was confident the people of Goulburn would remember the government’s support.
“Do not underestimate how smart people in our regions are,” she said.
“People in our regions can tell when a government cares about them, when a government invests in them, when a government believes in the future and we do that with every ounce in our bodies.”
Ms Berejiklian described Ms Goward as an “outstanding trailblazer” and commended her for “taking decisions that not everybody has always agreed with”.
“Pru Goward was a distinguished Australian before she even came to parliament but since she’s been in parliament she has made a difference to the most vulnerable in our state,” she said.
“To know Pru Goward is to know someone who is principled, inspirational, hard-working and I’ve never ever once heard her complain - ever.
“I’m incredibly proud to call her a friend, incredibly proud to have been the Premier who had the absolute privilege to have her on my team.”
However, Ms Berejiklian would not be drawn on whether the next candidate for the seat would be a woman.
“I don’t often say this publicly but I know that I do everything I can to make sure we promote and support women in the party,” she said.
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