She also blasted the National Party for conducting robo polling in her electorate.

Such polling flies in the face of a Coalition agreement not to run competing National and Liberal candidates in electorates due to it disadvantaging both parties under the state’s operational preferential voting system. 

The Goulburn Post became aware the National Party was conducting such robo- polling in the seat when residents alerted the newspaper to strange calls they had been receiving on Wednesday, April 18.

Peter Dixon from Middle Arm has written to the Goulburn Post stating: “last Wednesday evening several of my friends and I had a robo call from the National Party, asking who would we support in the electorate of Goulburn, then who would we give our preferences to.”

“Interesting names were tested:  Fiona Nash, Katrina Hodkginson, Geoff Kettle, Niall Blair, Pru Goward and Ursula Stephens,” he wrote. 

He was one of many local residents to receive such calls. 

Ms Goward said she “did not get the point” of why the National Party would be robo polling in the seat Goulburn.

“I don’t get the point of it. I have my nomination meeting this Friday (April 27) that will confirm me as the Liberal Candidate for the seat of Goulburn under our Coalition Agreement,” Ms Goward said.

“We don’t run in each other’s seats to cover optional-preferential voting. They cant run in it anyway.

“I think it is to do with internal pushing and shoving politics that have got nothing to do with me. It is just that this is a seat the Nationals have always been partial to and think that should be there’s. I don’t really see the point of it and it has nothing to do with me.”

She also denied rumours that she was going to retire before the next state election to allow her daughter Penny Fischer to contend the seat of Goulburn.

“No - that is absolutely ridiculous,” she said.

“The Liberal Party has decided the best person for the seat and I don't think Australians like dynasties.”

Ms Goward said rumours about her retiring so her daughter could contest the seat were “nonsense.” 

“I am very proud that my daughter wants to serve her local community,” Ms Goward said. 

“She knows what is involved after watching me do it for 12 years. It is a seven day a week job and it is very hard to please everybody. 

“It is not a job for the faint-hearted, but this is not part of the plan. She does not live here. She is moving to Bowral in the next two months. Going to Wollondilly is one thing but coming to Goulburn is quite different. It is all nonsense.” 

Meanwhile, in a response to a series of questions from the Goulburn Post – the NSW National Party would neither confirm or deny that they had been polling in the Goulburn electorate. 

A spokesperson for the NSW National Party delivered a statement to the Goulburn Post saying: “The Head Office of the NSW Nationals have a longstanding policy that we do not comment on polling.

“This includes including confirming or denying its existence.”

A spokesperson for the NSW Liberal Party was more to the point in confirming that Ms Goward was the preferred candidate for the next state election. 

“Subject to the endorsement by Liberal Party members, Pru Goward will be the Liberal party candidate for Goulburn,” the spokesperson said. 

Secretary of the National Party for the Goulburn electorate Tony Morrison had not heard about the polling, but spoke about the agreement between the two parties. 

“There is an agreement - but is seems to work more in favour of the Liberals,” Mr Morrison said. 

“State elections are tricky due to optional preferential voting so if Nationals and the Liberals stand against each other it weakens our vote. We are members of the coalition and I regard that we are in government together. 

“Pru is doing an excellent job. She is hardworking and she gets results.

“I hate what is going on in politics at the moment with people rubbishing politicians - they are the very core of our democracy.”

Meanwhile, Director of the State Electorate Council for the National Party James Harker-Mortlock said the National’s would run a candidate for the seat if Ms Goward retired. 

“If and when Pru retires - we are certainly hoping to run a candidate in Goulburn,” he said. 

“I would be putting up my hand for national Party preselection.