Dumped by voters, yesterday's pollies can find it hard to move on
Little is certain about November’s state election but history suggests that some MPs will find themselves unexpectedly jobless.
After leaving parliament, few people will be vying for their attention as the flow of invitations to events dries up. And constituents, community and advocacy groups will no longer clamour for a slice of their time.
A group of ex-Labor MPs has formed a walking group to stay connected after their parliamentary careers ended.
Photo: Chris HopkinsThe pain of electoral rejection comes as a crushing blow to many MPs who lose their seats, yet there is little sympathy from the public, who think many walk off into a well-remunerated post-Parliamentary life.
But Philip Davis, the president of the Victorian Parliamentary Former Members Association, says many MPs do not leave Parliament with financial certainty and the search for secure work often takes six months or more.
He says some ex-MPs battle with the feeling they are no longer relevant to their communities.
Mr Davis, a former Liberal upper house member, says while some MPs and senior ministers enjoy long careers, many members face much more uncertainty and serve only two terms.
“So people who win a seat with the full tide of an incoming government are often washed up on the beach when the tide goes out,” he says.
Victorian MPs are relatively well-paid with salaries now starting at almost $169,000. But Mr Davis believes the demands of the job and election campaigning mean MPs often have little time to devise an exit strategy.
“I know a number of former MPs who may be out of parliament for a decade who still have not really recovered emotionally and financially.”
The parliamentary pension is no longer available to MPs who were elected in recent years, so only the longest serving of MPs will now qualify for that taxpayer funded scheme.
Mr Davis says there is also a perception among some employers that hiring a former MP means taking on a worker who wants to “engage in political games” or spend their time trying to get re-elected.
He sees similarities with AFL players whose careers are unexpectedly cut short. The former members association has recently reached out to the AFL Players Association’s alumni group to share their expertise with ex-politicians.
So far more than 15 MPs have announced their retirement or already left parliament in this term. But with a bevy of marginal seats up for grabs, some MPs will have to confront their political mortality.
After the 2014 election, a group of retired Labor MPs formed a walking group to catch up and maintain the relationships wrought in the political trenches. One of its members, Bruce Mildenhall, says the group has helped with life after politics.
“When you see each other there’s always a lot of yarns and gossip to exchange,” he says.
The group has walked in Mount Macedon, the You Yangs and wetlands in Altona. Most of the walkers were lucky enough to decide when to stand down rather than being voted out although some lost their seats.
But Mr Mildenhall says some MPs who lose their seats take the defeat very personally even if the statewide swing was too much to overcome.
“For some people there’s a sense of personal injustice, particularly if it’s very close.”
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