What do politicians do after leaving parliament to earn a few more dollars? They go and work for gas and coal companies.
• Former Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson became chair of Eastern Star Gas — the company behind the Narrabri Gas Project now owned by Santos — about 2 years after leaving politics.
• Former National's leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile became a director and then chair of Whitehaven coal.
• Former Labor resources minister Martin Ferguson became chairperson of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association Advisory Board in October 2013, just six months after he left parliament. The lobbying code of conduct requires an 18-month cooling-off period for ex-ministers.
• Former federal Labor trade minister Craig Emerson became a consultant for AGL Energy and Santos.
• Former foreign minister Alexander Downer was a registered lobbyist with Bespoke Approach, whose clients included Woodside Petroleum, Xstrata, Petrochina and Yancoal among its clients.
• Former Labor climate change minister Greg Combet became a consultant to AGL Energy and Santos.
Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.