With a little over two years before the 2019 election, Berejiklian and Nationals leader John Barilaro have assembled a front bench they hope will convince voters to grant the Coalition a post-Mike Baird third term in office.

It is a serious shake up, but one that has prompted many questions, such as why experienced ministers like Adrian Piccoli and Jillian Skinner were removed from portfolios in which they excelled.

As he set out to do, Barilaro has renegotiated Nationals-held portfolios to better connect with regional communities after the flogging the party was handed in last year's Orange byelection. Deputy Nationals leader Niall Blair has seized trade and industry which were previously with the Liberals. The Industry portfolio hands the Coalition partner greater control of regional assistance programs to promote jobs growth at a time when it is fighting off challenges from minor parties like the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers and Pauline Hanson's One Nation. The Nationals have also grabbed back tourism, another potential jobs generator.

And thanks to Barilaro's decision to dump Piccoli from cabinet, the Liberals have regained the key schools portfolio.

But the decision to move planning expert Rob Stokes out of the area and into education has left most grasping for an adequate explanation. The same is true for forcing Skinner from health in the interests of renewal only to replace her with another veteran, Brad Hazzard.

With parliament returning on February 14, Berejiklian's ministers will need to quickly get across their new portfolios.

In the two years before the election, all 23 ministers will need to pull their weight, but it is those who hold the core frontline portfolios that will be under the most pressure to perform. Can Brad Hazzard keep a lid on health scandals that can inflict such damage on a government while forging ahead with the government's hospitals infrastructure program? Will Anthony Roberts achieve what Hazzard could not and fix the state's troubled planning system? How well can Andrew Constance steer the billions of dollars' worth of transport infrastructure projects underway while avoiding budget blowouts negotiating strident community opposition?

They are starting from a position of strength with the NSW economy booming and the state's coffers bulging – a position new Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will be under pressure to maintain. But with the Labor opposition starting to hit its stride, the Berejiklian government is certain to face pitfalls that inevitably dog an administration deep into its second term.

For these front-line ministers, there are opportunities and challenges in equal measure.

Planning and Housing

New state Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. Photo: Dean Osland

Anthony Roberts, the Member for Lane Cove, will take on possibly the key portfolio in the government. When she emerged from the Liberal parliamentary party room as the unchallenged replacement for Mike Baird, new Premier Gladys Berejiklian nominated housing affordability as the biggest issue facing the state. Roberts, a former mayor of Lane Cove and a leading figure in the party's conservative factions, will be responsible for meeting that issue. He is a one-time Army reservist who served in the peace-keeping mission in Bougainville, and worked for former prime minister John Howard between 1996 and 2003. He held senior positions in the O'Farrell and Baird governments, including as the minister for fair trading, and then as the resources and energy minister.

Opportunities A housing affordability package is likely to be one of the key demands made on the planning portfolio, and possibly one of the key initiatives Roberts will unveil. It is understood that policy options have been being debated through the government for much of the past year. Otherwise, Roberts will focus on increasing the supply of new housing. One thing to watch for will be whether he pushes for more of the growth in Sydney's housing supply to come from past the urban fringe of the city, or if he attempts other measures to encourage in-fill housing through existing suburbs.

Challenges Roberts will have to shepherd through the Parliament numerous legislative changes to the cumbersome Planning Act proposed by his predecessor in the position, Rob Stokes. The changes proposed by Stokes were not as substantial as the Coalition promised when it came to power in 2011; back then the Coalition was talking about preparing a completely new planning act. Then there are also large-scale housing developments proposed for areas such as the Bays Precinct in the inner west, and on the Central to Eveleigh rail corridor. These developments remain at very early stages. – Jacob Saulwick

Transport and Infrastructure

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance. Photo: Jessica Hromas

Andrew Constance, a former state treasurer, was the last to declare he would not run against Gladys Berejiklian in the short-lived race to become premier last month. Constance, 43, has gained experience in an array of portfolios including ageing, disability services, finance and industrial relations since the Coalition's victory in 2011. However, the member for Bega faces one of the biggest challenges of his career in successfully steering multibillion-dollar public transport projects after succeeding Berejiklian as transport minister in 2015.

Opportunities: Showcasing to voters the completion of some of the biggest public transport projects in Sydney in decades, including the first stage of a new metro railway in the city's north-west and a light rail line through the heart of the CBD. If finished on time, they will give Constance and the rest of the Berejiklian government plenty of ammunition in 2019 to remind voters of what Labor failed to achieve in its 16 years in power.

Challenges: It is one thing to tout plans for major projects; it's another to deliver on them. One of the most difficult aspects of the light rail and metro rail projects will be ensuring they are completed to schedule and within their budgets. The 12-kilometre light rail line from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kensington in the south-east is visible to tens of thousands of people each day, and any further delays to construction could prove costly politically. Meanwhile, Roads Minister Melinda Pavey and Minister for WestConnex Stuart Ayres may face the wrath of voters who drive on the labyrinth of tollroads, especially with the reintroduction of tolls on the M4 for the first time since 2010. While polling has shown opposition to the $16 billion WestConnex motorway project is not as widespread as protesters would suggest, Ayres faces a challenge in espousing the benefits of the controversial three-stage project. – Matt O'Sullivan

Health

Brad Hazzard during Question Time last year. Photo: Peter Braig

New Health Minister Brad Hazzard will find Jillian Skinner a tough act to follow. She had earned the respect of a large contingent of senior public healthcare workers for her undeniable passion for the sector. Hazzard, 65, entered parliament in 1991, and previously held portfolios including family and community services and social housing, Attorney-General, and Planning since the Liberal government took power in 2011. Hazzard, who ran into trouble negotiating with stakeholder groups in his attempt to overhaul the Planning Act, has been handed one of the state's most politically sensitive portfolios, and it remains to be seen how he will perform when dealing with the state's health unions.

Opportunities: Hazzard has inherited good, but stressed health system, Australian Medical Association NSW president Dr Brad Frankum said. He will reap the fruits of the funding commitments secured under Skinner for major hospital infrastructure including redevelopments at Nepean and Westmead hospitals. However, Frankum says: "We still need better co-operation from the federal government on health funding – that is a major ongoing issue."

Challenges: The health sector will expect the new health minister to push even harder for more Commonwealth funding to cope with the rising health burden of a booming population with chronic conditions. Glaring disparities in health and health service delivery both statewide and across Sydney's urban sprawl will also test Hazzard, whose northern beaches electorate of Wakehurst enjoys a considerably rosier health report card than western Sydney suburbs where lifestyle diseases like childhood obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases continue to rise. Hazzard will also be responsible for bringing to fruition the controversial plans to privatise some public hospitals and Sydney's ambulance superstation network. – Kate Aubusson

Education

Rob Stokes, the new Education Minister, was previously the Planning Minister. Photo: Adam McLean

What do you get when the best planning minister in NSW history replaces the country's best education minister? We're about to find out. With his long history (and PhD) in planning law, Rob Stokes was a clearly strong choice for his former portfolio, where he earned the accolade from former premier Mike Baird. But the member for Pittwater is a less obvious choice for education, replacing the Nationals' Adrian Piccoli, who was hailed as the country's best education minister by deputy premier John Barilaro as he fired him. Stokes has almost 10 years in parliament, three with ministerial responsibilities. His record on speaking out on climate change and negative gearing suggests he is not afraid to stand up to his own side where he thinks they are wrong, and that's a good sign.

Opportunities: His predecessor leaves a strong track record of reform to build on: moves to improve teacher quality and give principals more autonomy, and the implementation of needs-based funding. With a newish department secretary in Mark Scott, the minister will need to focus on bedding down these reforms. There is significant evidence available how to promote effective teaching, as well as pilot programs in NSW schools that are delivering measurable successes from data-rich targeted teaching programs and early intervention programs for at-risk kids. Those practices and policies need widespread rollout and a ministerial advocate.

Challenges: NSW has budgeted for the final two years of the Gonski reforms, but that's only a third of the money required – the rest was supposed to come from the feds, but they will only put in about a quarter of the money promised under Labor. Additional needs-based school funding falls off a cliff from the end of this year, and until there's a deal at COAG, NSW doesn't even know how much it stands to lose for its schools. Stokes will face a tough partner in a cash-strapped federal government hostile to the Gonski deal. Closer to home, he'll need to persuade Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to fund the school infrastructure needed to make up for the massive shortfall in school places the state is facing. And as student results slide relative to their international peers, Stokes will need to evaluate the expert evidence and craft effective policies to lift student achievement in a space crowded with competing ideologies and vested interests.

Attorney-General

New NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman. Photo: Christopher Lane

Mark Speakman was touted as a future NSW Attorney-General even before he won the seat of Cronulla in 2011. The 57-year-old former commercial silk and law firm partner had long harboured political aspirations. He sought Liberal preselection twice for the federal seat of Cook – including in 2007 when it was snared by the now federal Treasurer Scott Morrison – before setting his sights on state Parliament. Then premier Mike Baird gave Speakman the environment and heritage ministry after the March 2015 election and it was on his watch that the government set an ambitious target for NSW to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

Opportunities: Speakman is in a strong position to mend fences with the legal profession, which was underwhelmed by the performance of his predecessor Gabrielle Upton. Berejiklian has smoothed the path for him by reversing a widely-panned decision by Baird to axe the Attorney-General's department and make Upton the junior minister in a justice super-agency headed by Police Minister and then deputy premier Troy Grant. Speakman is unlikely to set an ambitious legal reform agenda but will be responsible for overseeing work begun by Upton, including pushing nationally for the creation of a tort or civil action for serious invasions of privacy.

Challenges: The portfolio is among the most politically charged in the state. Greg Smith, a former deputy director of public prosecutions who served as attorney-general in the O'Farrell government, found himself in the crosshairs of Sydney shock jocks and the tabloid media for being allegedly "soft on crime" after he announced a long-overdue overhaul of the state's bail laws. Speakman, a noted moderate who has expressed his opposition to some of the government's most contentious legal policies including mandatory sentencing, has the legal profession on his side but will have to stand firm against calls for reactionary "tough on crime" policies. – Michaela Whitbourn

Police

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant. Photo: Christopher Pearce

Troy Grant has held the portfolio since April 2015, making him one of the longer serving police ministers in recent times as NSW has churned through eight in a decade. A former country cop, Grant spent 22 years in the force, rising to the rank of inspector and was awarded the Commissioner's Commendations for Courage twice. He was elected to NSW Parliament in 2011, reclaiming the seat of Dubbo for the Nationals for the first time in over a decade and was appointed to cabinet in 2014 overseeing hospitality, gaming and racing and the arts. Grant's meteoric rise continued becoming Nationals leader and deputy premier that same year but he resigned from that post last November after the party's poor showing at the Orange by-election.Opportunities: With Andrew Scipione retiring after a decade as police commissioner, Grant will be a dominant voice in cabinet as the government decides who should replace him. It is a major decision that will help shape the future of the NSW Police and potentially draw a line in the sand after years of infighting within the top ranks of the force, and indecision in the government about how to deal with it. With at least three deputy commissioner positions also to be filled Grant will also have some sway over who the future leaders of the force.

Challenges: The state government couldn't make a decision on Scipione's replacement two years ago, begged him to stay and appears to have done little in succession planning since. It is also an appointment that will have to please the state's 16,000 police officers and the NSW Police Association. Grant will also share some of his responsibilities with the newly created counter-terrorism portfolio handed to David Elliott. There is no clear explanation yet on how the two will work alongside each other. The coroner's findings into the Lindt cafe siege are also expected to be handed down within months and could contain some damning findings of how the fatal situation was handled. – Nick Ralston

Family and Community Services

Minister for Family and Community Services Pru Goward. Photo: Janie Barrett

Pru Goward returns to the portfolio she held between 2011 and 2014 after spending the past few years in diverse roles encompassing planning, mental health, medical research and prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault. Goward is a former journalist and executive director of the Office of the Status of Women and Sex Discrimination Commissioner who was elected member for Goulburn in 2007. She has three daughters including Camden councillor Penny Fischer and former actress and model Kate Fischer, who now goes by the name of Tziporah Malkah and appears on I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!

Opportunities: There is plenty of scope to improve the state's child protection system. The proportion of children deemed to be at risk of serious harm who receive a face-to-face check from a caseworker has barely shifted since Ms Goward last held the FaCS portfolio, rising from 28 per cent in the last quarter of 2012-13 to 31 per cent for the same period in 2015-16. She will also be expected to drive proposed reforms to out-of-home care which former premier Mike Baird said was "failing to improve long-term outcomes for children". There are more than 20,000 children in the state's $1 billion out-of-home care system.

Challenges: Addressing housing affordability and reducing homelessness have been flagged as priorities with increasing demands to set targets for social and affordable properties. St Vincent de Paul Society NSW chief executive Jack de Groot said the state needs 100,000 new social and affordable homes over the next 20 years to tackle current waiting lists for social and affordable housing which stretch up to 10 years in some areas. Services for survivors of domestic violence are expected to come under further pressure due to cuts to federally-funded community legal centres, effective from July. – Rachel Browne

Local government/Environment

New Local Government and Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton.

A former lawyer, investment banker and university administrator, Gabrielle Upton should have no difficulty, at least, in writing out her new job title. "I believe that local governments are local," Upton told a public meeting in 2015. "That's spelled L-O-C-A-L." Upton, the Member for Vaucluse, left a successful corporate and university career when she was elected to parliament in 2011. She rose quickly into ministerial positions:  sport in 2013, family and community services in 2014, attorney-general in 2015, before being shifted to Local Government and the Environment.

Opportunities: If she resolves the issue of council mergers, which has fast become an extremely messy one for the Berejiklian government, Upton will have grasped the opportunity to be known as a fixer and a conciliator. That will be the hope, anyway. Upton spoke out against the forced merger of her local Woollahra Council in 2015. Her management will now be central in determining what happens in that area, and in other local governments that have used the courts to resist forced amalgamations. In her environment portfolio, unfinished work that could win early kudos includes declaring a marine park for the Sydney region after years of consultation. Her first media release in her new role called for public comment on the NSW koala strategy but she could go further and declare a Great Koala Park on the north coast. Similarly, partial protection for the Gardens of Stone could be expanded to include the 39,000 hectares threatened by mining and forestry.

Challenges: One of the key challenges will be deciding what happens to councils that have already been forcibly amalgamated. The councils that have resisted amalgamation include those in Sydney's eastern suburbs, lower north shore and upper northern suburbs. But councils in Sydney's south, inner west and west have already been merged. This dynamic would leave the government open to charges of inequity if it did not also give residents in those areas a chance to determine the future of their councils. If merged councils are offered a chance to de-amalgamate, that will open extremely difficult logistical and financial questions. Upton's got a tough job ahead of her. In her environment portfolio, dividing focus with local government duties could weaken the department's attention to new land-clearing laws, increasing threats to sensitive eco-systems. Turning her predecessor Mark Speakman's success in securing a net-zero carbon emissions policy for NSW by 2050 will need real policies. Meanwhile, plans to shift coastal management responsibility to local government are only partially implemented. – Jacob Saulwick, Peter Hannam