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Almost 40 politicians lost their seats or retired at the last election. Some have since become lobbyists, been elected to state parliaments, returned to the bar or become publicans. By Jason Koutsoukis.
Where are they now: The politicians who lost their seats
In the six months since the May 3 election, the departing political class of 2025 has scattered.
In all, 36 people left the parliament at the last election. Twenty-three of them were from the Coalition. Some chose to leave, others lost their seats.
Under the federal Lobbying Code of Conduct, departing ministers face an 18-month “cooling-off” period during which they are barred from lobbying on matters they handled in office.
Ordinary MPs and senators face no such restrictions. They can move directly into lobbying, consulting or corporate roles, so long as they sign on to the federal lobbyist register.
Some have slipped easily into the private sector, while others have resurfaced in state politics or academia.
A handful have taken on high-profile roles. Former Greens leader Adam Bandt, who lost his safe seat to Labor, will lead the Australian Conservation Foundation from January. Independent Kylea Tink, whose seat was abolished, now heads Foodbank Australia.
Former Liberal MPs Bridget Archer and Gavin Pearce have gone from opposition backbenchers to Tasmanian cabinet ministers. Stephen Jones, assistant treasurer in the last term, has been posted to Paris as Australia’s representative to the OECD.
Many others have quietly stepped away. Labor stalwarts such as Linda Burney, Louise Pratt and Maria Vamvakinou have retired entirely.
Several Liberals have retreated to private business or boardrooms. A few, like former senator Hollie Hughes, have taken more colourful turns: she and her husband now run a pub outside Lithgow.
Those who entered parliament before October 2004 remain entitled to the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Scheme, a defined-benefit tax-free pension for life, guaranteeing 75 per cent of their base parliamentary salary and any additional pay received for serving as a minister or office holder.
For everyone elected since, superannuation has been standardised – and is far less generous.
Most departing MPs and senators are eligible for a resettlement allowance of up to $105,000, however – a payment designed to help them “adjust to life outside politics”.
Introduced after the 2015 Remuneration Tribunal review, it remains one of the few transitional benefits still available to those who lose their seats or retire voluntarily.
What follows is a snapshot of where they landed – the afterlife of the 47th Parliament.
Liberal Party
Exit Retired
Seat McPherson (Qld)
Current status Non-executive director of the Australian Resources Recovery Council.
Bridget Archer
Exit Lost seat
Seat Bass (Tas)
Current status Tasmanian minister for health.
David Coleman
Exit Lost seat
Seat Banks (NSW)
Current status Consultant and business adviser to the investment firm EQT Group and media company Nine Entertainment.
Peter Dutton
Exit Lost seat
Seat Dickson (Qld)
Current status Retired; eligible for the higher defined benefit pension scheme.
Warren Entsch
Exit Lost seat
Seat Leichhardt (Qld)
Current status Vice-president of the executive committee of Global TB Caucus, a consortium of politicians working to end tuberculosis; eligible for the higher defined benefit pension scheme.
Paul Fletcher
Exit Retired
Seat Bradfield (NSW)
Current status Travelling, learning Italian in Perugia. Intends to undertake some “long planned personal projects such as getting 20 kilowatt of solar panels and a 40 kilowatt-hour battery installed at our home”. Future focus will be on advisory and board work in the communications, infrastructure and digital sectors.
Ian Goodenough
Exit Lost preselection
Seat Moore (WA)
Current status Candidate for mayor of the City of Joondalup in Western Australia.
Luke Howarth
Exit Lost seat
Seat Petrie (Qld)
Current status Travelling, enjoying life. “I decided after losing my seat that I would take a holiday, and I’ve just got back from nearly 10 weeks overseas. The highlight was visiting our most excellent ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, where I was lucky enough to get an audience with the Pope!”
Hollie Hughes
Exit Lost preselection
Seat Senator (NSW)
Current status Pub owner at the Hotel Alexander at Rydal, west of Lithgow.
Nola Marino
Exit Retired
Seat Forrest (WA)
Current status Retired
Gavin Pearce
Exit Retired
Seat Braddon (Tas)
Current status Tasmanian minister for primary industries and water.
Rowan Ramsey
Exit Retired
Seat Grey (SA)
Current status Retired
Gerard Rennick
Exit Lost preselection
Seat Senator (Qld)
Current status No confirmed post-parliament role.
Linda Reynolds
Exit Retired
Seat Senator (WA)
Current status No confirmed post-parliament role.
James Stevens
Exit Lost seat
Seat Sturt (SA)
Current status Working for The Agenda Group, a government relations and strategic communications consultancy.
Michael Sukkar
Exit Lost seat
Seat Deakin (Vic)
Current status Non-executive director of Simonds Group, one of the country’s largest home builders.
Bert van Manen
Exit Lost seat
Seat Forde (Qld)
Current status Retired
Ross Vasta
Exit Lost seat
Seat Bonner (Qld)
Current status Director of strategic planning at RJS Tech Group, a manufacturing company specialising in machinery and personal protective equipment.
Jenny Ware
Exit Lost seat
Seat Hughes (NSW)
Current status Legal consulting.
Keith Wolahan
Exit Lost seat
Seat Menzies (Vic)
Current status Returned to the Victorian Bar.
National Party
Mark Coulton
Exit Retired
Seat Parkes (NSW)
Current status Retired
Perin Davey
Exit Lost seat
Seat Senator (NSW)
Current status No confirmed post-parliament role.
David Gillespie
Exit Retired
Seat Lyne (NSW)
Current status Retired
Labor Party
Catryna Bilyk
Exit Retired
Seat Senator (Tas)
Current status Retired
Linda Burney
Exit Retired
Seat Barton (NSW)
Current status Retired
Stephen Jones
Exit Retired
Seat Whitlam (NSW)
Current status Australia’s permanent representative to the OECD.
Brian Mitchell
Exit Retired
Seat Lyons (Tas)
Current status Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Lyons.
Brendan O’Connor
Exit Retired
Seat Gorton (Vic)
Current status Professor of Practice at RMIT University; eligible for the higher defined benefit pension scheme.
Graham Perrett
Exit Retired
Seat Moreton (Qld)
Current status Registered high-school teacher; registered lobbyist for Cornerstone Government Relations.
Louise Pratt
Exit Retired
Seat Senator (WA)
Current status Strategic communications.
Maria Vamvakinou
Exit Retired
Seat Calwell (Vic)
Current status Retired; eligible for the higher defined benefit pension scheme.
Greens
Adam Bandt
Exit Lost seat
Seat Melbourne (Vic)
Current status Incoming chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Stephen Bates
Exit Lost seat
Seat Brisbane (Qld)
Current status No confirmed post-parliament role.
Max Chandler-Mather
Exit Lost seat
Seat Griffith (Qld)
Current status No confirmed post-parliament role.
Independents
Zoe Daniel
Exit Lost seat
Seat Goldstein (Vic)
Current status Speaker, consultant and author.
Kylea Tink
Exit Seat abolished
Seat North Sydney (NSW)
Current status Chief executive of Foodbank Australia.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on November 8, 2025 as "Where are they now: The politicians who lost their seats".
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