Member for Goulburn

Shadow Minister for Community Services

Shadow Minister for Women

Pru Goward entered the NSW Parliament in March 2007 as the Member for Goulburn having served as Australia`s Sex Discrimination Commissioner for six years.  She had also been Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination since 2005.  During her time with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission she became best known for her advocacy of a national scheme of paid maternity leave, the implications of demographic change and the challenge of work life balance.

An economist by training and a broadcaster by practice, Pru spent 19 years with the ABC as a reporter and later national political commentator for television and radio.  She has received a number of awards for journalism and has been an official Guest of the Governments of the UK, Germany, New Zealand and Israel.  Pru has also interviewed every prime minister since John Gorton and in 1984 was awarded a special Walkley Award, journalism`s highest honour.

In 1997 Pru left broadcasting to become Executive Director of the Office of the Status of Women in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where she was responsible for the provision of advice to the Prime Minister and the Minister on aspects of social, industrial and economic policy relevant to women.  Pru was later appointed Government Spokesperson for the Sydney 2000 Games, responsible for media management of the thirty agencies, including counter-terrorism, immigration and trade agencies that constituted the Australian Government`s role in the Olympics.

Pru has also been a university Economics tutor, a University lecturer in Broadcast Journalism, a high school economics teacher and media consultant. She has authored two books, A Business of Your Own, success strategies for women in business and has co-authored with her husband, David Barnett, a biography of John Howard, John Howard, a Biography.

Pru is formerly Chair of the Council for Australian Arab Relations, Deputy Chair of Anglicare (Canberra Goulburn) and a member of a number of boards including the John Curtin School of Medical Research. Her speeches have been reproduced in several important collections and in 2004 the Australian newspaper identified her as one of Australia’s 40 most influential people. The Australian Financial Review that year chose her as one of the country’s top ten cultural and industrial influences. Pru has represented Australia at a number of international forums and negotiations such as APEC. In 2001 she was awarded a Centenary Medal for her services to journalism and women’s rights and in 2007 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business at Charles Sturt University.

Pru was awarded scholarships to study at Woodlands CEGGS and Adelaide University and has three daughters and a grand-daughter. With her husband, David Barnett, Pru has owned cattle properties in the Monaro and Southern Tablelands regions for twenty-four years.