Most politicians have white-collar backgrounds, typically with jobs like barrister, supervisor, guide or political staffer on their resumes. However what do they do as soon as they’re executed with politics?
Evaluation by Crikey and the transparency undertaking Open Politics reveals many Labor and Coalition frontbenchers who’ve retired prior to now 5 years have gone on to soft roles reminiscent of company advisers or appointments to boards of administrators. Many have additionally began their very own advisory companies associated to the federal government, or gained employment with corporations that was once their stakeholders, monetising the affect and connections they made of their public roles. Others have centered on charity and non-corporate roles or left public life altogether.
The Centre for Public Integrity mentioned the post-Parliament careers of some politicians raised questions of whether or not sure personal enterprises gained an unfair benefit, and whether or not authorities choices have been being made within the public curiosity or not. These dangers could possibly be mitigated by introducing minimal instances ex-politicians must wait till accepting personal sector employment.
“According to world greatest apply, the Centre for Public Integrity recommends a five-year cooling-off interval,” govt director Catherine Williams informed Crikey.
“Particularly, it might assist scale back each the danger that confidential authorities data is used for the advantage of personal pursuits, and the chance that politicians make choices with an eye fixed to their post-parliamentary profession potentialities, as an alternative of within the public curiosity.”
Under is an inventory of the post-politics careers of all of the frontbenchers who’ve served within the present Parliament or the one earlier than, who’ve stop Parliament or mentioned they’ll retire on the subsequent election. As a result of we determined to have a look at solely the previous two Parliaments, some well-known examples of ex-ministers being profitable of their former portfolio areas, together with defence minister-turned-defence guide Christopher Pyne, weren’t included.
The Anthony Albanese ministry, and his shadow ministry in opposition
Mike Kelly — MP from 2007-2013 and 2016-2020, on the frontbench from 2007. Expertise consists of defence, water, agriculture, fisheries, and forestry. Inside days of resigning from Parliament in 2020 for well being causes, Kelly joined defence-related knowledge analytics firm Palantir. Kelly praised the corporate in Parliament on a few events, together with for reportedly enjoying a task find Osama Bin Laden.
Joel Fitzgibbon — MP from 1996 to April 2022, first on frontbench in 1998. Expertise consists of small enterprise, tourism, sources, mining, power, banking, Treasury, defence, agriculture, and rural affairs. Began his personal advisory agency in March 2022, in keeping with LinkedIn, and has taken on many different roles since then, together with some referring to defence and the AUKUS pact.
Invoice Shorten — MP since 2007, first made the frontbench in 2010. Expertise consists of NDIS, bushfire restoration, monetary companies, employment, office relations, training, authorities companies, and Indigenous affairs. Will retire on the subsequent election, and has mentioned he’ll start a brand new job on the College of Canberra.
Linda Burney — federal MP since 2016, first on the frontbench in 2018. Expertise consists of human companies, household violence, social companies, and Indigenous affairs. Burney will retire on the subsequent election, and when reached by Crikey she was coy about her future plans, avoiding a direct query about what she’ll do after retiring and saying in an announcement: “I’m centered on serving the citizens of Barton, and can proceed to work for constituents till the subsequent federal election.”
Terri Butler — MP from 2014-2022 (defeated at election), on the frontbench since 2016. Expertise consists of universities, household violence, equality, younger Australians, employment companies, setting, and water. Began a consulting enterprise in 2022, grew to become industrial commissioner with the Queensland Industrial Relations Fee in January 2024, and was appointed to the Truthful Work Fee in August 2024.
Kristina Keneally — Senator from 2018 to April 2022, first on frontbench in 2019. Expertise consists of House Affairs, immigration, and authorities accountability. Based on LinkedIn, Keneally has been the chief govt of the Sydney Kids’s Hospital Basis since November 2022.
Doug Cameron — Senator from 2007-2019, appointed to frontbench in 2013. Portfolio experiences embrace housing and homelessness. Cameron is a commissioner of the Folks’s Fee into the Housing Disaster.
Brendan O’Connor — MP since 2001, first on the frontbench in 2007. Tasks have included employment, House Affairs, justice, privateness, human companies, training, housing, small enterprise, immigration, and abilities and coaching. Will retire on the subsequent election, unclear what he’ll do subsequent (his workplace didn’t reply to a query from Crikey).
Warren Snowdon — MP from 1987 to April 2022, first on the frontbench in 2007. Expertise consists of defence science, Indigenous and rural well being, veterans’ affairs, exterior territories, and Indigenous affairs. Snowdon has been a authorities relations adviser at Diabetes Australia since 2022 and was appointed to move a federal assessment of the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility in August 2024.
Pat Dodson — Senator from 2016 to January 2024, on the frontbench since 2016. Expertise consists of Indigenous affairs, reconciliation, and constitutional recognition of First Nations Australians. Dodson retired for well being causes and it’s unclear what he does now.
Nick Champion — MP 2007-2016 and 2019-2022. By no means made ministry, on shadow frontbench from 2014. Expertise consists of well being, manufacturing, and science. Champion resigned from Parliament shortly earlier than the Could 2022 election to develop into a minister within the South Australian authorities. His portfolios embrace planning, housing, and concrete improvement.
Claire Moore — Senator from 2001-2019. By no means made ministry, on shadow frontbench from 2002. Expertise consists of girls’s affairs, carers, communities, worldwide improvement, and Pacific affairs. Submit-political profession unknown.
Kim Carr — Senator from 1993-2022, first sat on the frontbench in 2007. Expertise consists of business, science and analysis, manufacturing, defence materials, human companies, and better training. Following his retirement in 2022, Carr was appointed vice-chancellor’s professorial fellow at Monash College. He’s additionally a director of the Made in Australia Marketing campaign Restricted and an honorary fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) and the Academy of the Humanities (AHA).
Julie Owens — MP 2004-2022. By no means made ministry, on shadow frontbench from 2013. Expertise consists of training and early childhood training, small enterprise, citizenship and multicultural affairs. Submit-political profession unknown.
The Peter Dutton shadow ministry, and the previous Coalition ministry in authorities
Scott Morrison — MP from 2007 to February 2024. First appointed to the ministry in 2013. The minister for nearly every part’s expertise consists of immigration, border safety, Treasury, social companies, well being, finance, business, and sources. After resigning from Parliament in early 2024, Morrison joined US advisory agency American World Methods LLC as non-executive vice chairman. The agency’s chairman and founder is Donald Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser Robert O’Brien. Following the 2022 election, Morrison was appointed to a number of advisory board positions with worldwide our bodies, together with the centre-right Worldwide Democrat Union, the China Heart of the Hudson Institute (in November 2022), and the Heart for New American Safety (CNAS).
Josh Frydenberg — MP from 2010 to Could 2022, appointed to the ministry in 2013. Frydenberg’s expertise consists of Treasury, sources and power, and the setting. Two months after his defeat on the 2022 election he was appointed senior regional adviser for Goldman Sachs Australia and New Zealand, with Goldman Sachs’ native chief govt Simon Rothery stressing on the time that Frydenberg wouldn’t be concerned in any authorities enterprise for the financial institution. In September 2023 Fryendberg was promoted to chairman of Goldman Sachs Australia.
Stuart Robert — MP from 2007 to Could 2023, appointed to the ministry in 2013. Robert’s expertise consists of digital companies, human companies, defence, veterans’ affairs, Treasury, NDIS, employment, abilities, and small enterprise. Following the 2022 election, Robert established a personal firm Coram Deo Capital Pty Ltd, with 9 papers reporting in October 2024 that the corporate is concerned in a proposed $500 million knowledge centre to retailer delicate authorities data. 9 reported Robert was mentioned to have “leveraged” his place as Australia’s first digital minister to barter the enterprise deal.
Christian Porter — MP from 2013 to April 2022, appointed to the ministry in 2014. Porter’s expertise consists of social companies, as attorney-general, industrial relations, business, and science and expertise. Following his resignation from cupboard in 2021 over his blind belief, he established two corporations: Henley Stirling Legal professionals Pty Ltd and Henley Stirling Consultants Pty Ltd, with the primary created for the aim of conducting a authorized apply and the second for “potential future writing ventures”. Whereas the general public awaits publication of Porter’s first e-book, he’s been busy as a barrister since leaving Parliament, representing crime determine Mick Gatto in a defamation case towards the ABC and one among Clive Palmer’s corporations in a lawsuit towards the federal authorities.
Marise Payne — Senator from 1997 to September 2023, appointed to the shadow ministry in 2009/ministry 2013. Expertise consists of Indigenous affairs, housing, human companies, defence, overseas affairs, and ladies’s affairs. Appointed distinguished visiting fellow on the Hoover Establishment in January 2024. In the identical month, Western Sydney College appointed Payne as vice-chancellor’s fellow and professor of apply in worldwide relations and public coverage.
Greg Hunt — MP from 2001 to Could 2022, appointed to the ministry in 2004. Hunt’s expertise consists of well being, setting and heritage, local weather change, city water, business, innovation, science, and sport. In October 2022 Hunt was appointed chair of the advisory council of the Turner Institute for Mind and Psychological Well being.
Alan Tudge — MP from 2010 to February 2023, appointed to the ministry in 2015. Expertise consists of social companies, human companies, multicultural affairs, infrastructure and cities, and training. Based on LinkedIn, Tudge has labored as a “company adviser (authorities, training, migration)” since April 2023.
Ken Wyatt — MP from 2010-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2015. Wyatt’s expertise consists of Indigenous affairs, well being and aged care, and Indigenous well being. After his loss on the Could 2022 election, Wyatt joined the Albanese authorities’s Voice to Parliament referendum working group and campaigned for the Sure vote.
Ben Morton — MP from 2016-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2019. Morton’s expertise consists of public service, electoral issues, and as particular minister of state. Morton is an exterior guide to Woodside, a director of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Analysis, non-executive commissioner of the Insurance coverage Fee of Western Australia (ICWA), and a director of the Southern Ports Authority.
Zed Seselja — Senator from 2013-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2016. Seselja’s expertise consists of social companies, multicultural affairs, science, employment, innovation, Treasury and finance, and worldwide improvement. Following his defeat on the 2022 election, Seselja established an organization, Zed Advisory, and is govt director. He’s additionally a director of Group Faculties Australia and Campion Australia.
Amanda Stoker — Senator from 2018-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2022. Stoker’s expertise consists of industrial relations, girls’s points, and authorized affairs. After her defeat on the 2022 election, Stoker joined Sky Information along with her personal present, Sunday with Stoker, and joined the advisory board of the arch-conservative Alliance for Accountable Citizenship. Stoker is in search of to resurrect her political profession, working as an LNP candidate for the state seat of Oodgeroo within the upcoming Queensland election.
Trevor Evans — MP from 2016-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2019. Evans’ expertise consists of waste discount and environmental administration. Evans was appointed as particular adviser within the Nationwide Retail Affiliation’s (NRA) coverage division in July 2024 — he was chief govt of the NRA previous to his election to Parliament. Past this, it’s not clear what Evans does, although his LinkedIn profile says, “Board member, advisory, guide.”
Tim Wilson — MP from 2016-2022, appointed to the ministry in 2021. Wilson’s expertise consists of emissions discount, power, and business. Following his election defeat Wilson established an advisory agency with a give attention to environmental and social governance danger administration, strategic communications and campaigns, and coverage evaluation and insights. He’s working because the Liberal candidate for his outdated seat of Goldstein on the subsequent election.
Karen Andrews — MP since 2010, appointed to the ministry in 2014. Andrews will retire on the subsequent election. Her expertise consists of House Affairs, business, science, and vocational training and abilities. She has mentioned she has already been invited to take a seat on “a variety of boards” however hasn’t but accepted something, and that she has thought of beginning a political podcast.
Did we miss anybody? Noticed your former member working on the checkout? Get in contact! Electronic mail anilsson@crikey.com.au.
