If you're elected a member of parliament you have to abide by the following conditions.

--Your children have to attend the worst government school available to your constituents. No private schools and not just any government school. They have to go to the worst.

--Your take home pay from all sources may not exceed the median take home pay of your constituents after adjusting for age and family size. Your expense allowance may not exceed your take home pay and you have to account for every item.

--If you are appointed to the cabinet your take home pay and expenses may go up by no more than 50%.

--If you or any member of your immediate family requires hospitalisation they are taken to the worst public hospital available to your constituents.

--You may choose to live in either the part of your constituency that has the highest crime rate or the worst transport links.

--If you lose your seat you and your family have to live on the dole for six months.

--If your children are in tertiary education they have to attend the institution closest to your place of residence that offers the courses they are taking.

--Your parliamentary pension is equal to twice the basic old age pension.

Happy new year all.

Nice start stevenlmeyer, but here's some additionals:

If the polly is a true believer in global warming: 100% of all their energy needs must be sourced from a wind turbine on their front lawn. And their household sewage must not drained into the city system and pumped out to sea, but piped into a treatment facility in their own backyard.

SPQR

I certainly think MPs who purport to believe in global warming must be seen to be taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

Incidentally, since senators represent the state that is their "constituency" for the purposes of this exercise.

to make it fair the rules also should apply to abc leftie presenters as well as unionist who are into the public trough.

Dear Steven,

Another good thread.

However, the realities are very different:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/money/former-prime-ministers-costing-us-millions/story-e6frmd9-1225945641593#

The link points out that the offices of Australia's former
Prime Minister's are costing more than $50,000 a week
to run, on top of an annual pension bill exceeding $1 million.

John Howard's office is the most expensive with expenses
amounting to $850,000 a year over the last term of government,
an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found.
$450,000 office refit in 2008/09 to his swanky digs in
Sydney's MLC building, which already costs nearly $14,000 a
month to rent.

Each Prime Minister is entitled to at least 2 staff including
a senior private secretary and the annual wages bill of each
is nearly $300,000. They also have their home and mobile
phone bills paid for by taxpayers as well as unlimited
allowances for publication, a private self-drive car, and
air-fares for them and their spouse.

These are in addition to their pensions under a generous
former Parliamentary Supperannuation Scheme - which gives
them a pension indexed to current MP's salaries for life.

John Howard's office spent $100,000
on limos in 7 months and $2,143,147.34 - over a 30 month
total.

Ah, life is hard for our former PM's. No question about
that.

What tragic circumstances we have, and what accountability do we have. Pigs still feasting in the lap of luxury from the public trough.
I would not approve of Abbott being fed at all after politics, let alone what damage he would do.