She’ll be sworn in today as the State’s next Planning Minister after being told she had the job by new Premier Mike Baird during a phone call.

“Honestly, I didn’t have an inkling,” Ms Goward said.

“It has come as a complete shock.”

The Member for Goulburn, who is bracing for a torrid election campaign in 2015, described her new cabinet position as a “huge promotion”.

She takes over Planning from Brad Hazzard who will become the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.

She retains her ministerial responsibilities for Women.

Gabrielle Upton takes on her former portfolio of Family and Community Services.

Ms Goward had endured intense media and political scrutiny in her previous role.

The opposition had called for her sacking, as recently as earlier this month, after an Ombudsman report into child protection found that 75,000 cases of reported abuse never received a face to face assessment by a caseworker.

But Ms Goward said she relished her time as Community Services Minister.

“There was unfinished business, with reforms still yet to be fully implemented, but my focus now is entirely on Planning and ensuring there is a healthier balance between community concerns and development,” she said.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s state political editor Sean Nicholls said shifting Brad Hazzard from planning allows a resetting of the negotiation over the overhaul of the NSW planning system.

“Hazzard’s much-anticipated legislation is dead, having been amended by the upper house to such an extent the government couldn’t bring itself to vote for it in the lower house,” he said.

“Hazzard had knocked heads with both the Shooters and Fishers Party and Labor’s Luke Foley over the legislation.

“The change will allow his successor, Pru Goward, a fresh start.”

Ms Goward said she “knows the challenges” ... one of which will be windfarms.

“I’ve been out to Grabben Gullen, I know the stakeholders, I know the issues at play,” she said.

“It’s time to stop stringing people along.”

Ms Goward, meantime, welcomed Mayor Geoff Kettle’s confirmation this week that he wouldn’t be standing as an independent at next year’s election.

“It was really about him sending a clear message to the Coalition that three-cornered contests aren’t on,” she said.

“That is not going to happen, so he has no appetite to run.”

She revealed former Premier Barry O’Farrell to be a close friend and a “man of good humour”.

“I was just talking to him today and he said he had time over the weekend to see two games of football,” she said.

“He really loves his sport.”

Member for Burrinjuck Katrina Hodgkinson keeps the Primary Industries position but will be the State’s new Assistant Minister for Tourism and Major Events (losing the Small Business portfolio, which will be Andrew Stoner’s).