NSW Minister Pru Goward to quit politics
NSW Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward will quit politics at the state election next year.
Ms Goward, the member for Goulburn, announced her retirement on Wednesday morning, after more than a decade in state politics, including seven years in the Coalition ministry.
“This was a very very difficult decision to make and one I make in the best interests of my family,” Ms Goward said.
Ms Goward said her husband had been "very unwell" and her "family circumstances have changed quite quickly in the last few weeks.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who stood alongside Ms Goward as she announced her decision, thanked her for her service and said her "courage and her resilience are her legacy for this state."
“Pru has been a trailblazer for women in this country, an outstanding minister and a strong advocate for the people of the Goulburn electorate," Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Goward, who was recently preselected to recontest her seat, will continue to serve as minister until the March state election.
She is the second minister to quit the Berejiklian government in the lead up to the election.
Police Minister Troy Grant announced in July he would not recontest his seat of regional seat of Dubbo.
During her time as a minister, Ms Goward oversaw several major - and controversial - reforms in her portfolios, including the decision to sell of the Millers Point public housing estate to build new social housing in the city's outer suburbs.
Most recently, she instituted significant changes to the child protection system, which were designed to fast-track adoption processes for children in state care. The reforms were heavily criticised by Aboriginal organisations and legal advocates, which claimed the changes would bring about another stolen generation.
Ms Goward said her porftolios had "involved complex social issues" and "often filled with great sadness" as she defended her record on Wednesday.
"Reform is never easy but worth the fight. I never walk away from tough decisions," Ms Goward said.
Ms Goward won the seat of Goulburn at the 2007 election, and was promoted to then Premier Barry O'Farrell's front bench in 2011 as Families and Community Services Minister. Since then she has held various ministries, including Planning, Mental Health, Social Housing, and Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Prior to entering politics, Ms Goward was an ABC journalist whose career included a stint as political correspondent for the 7:30 Report.
In 2001, she was appointed to the role of Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
More to come