Why are so many Australian MP's not standing for election - its about the money of course! (No matter what they tell us)
In 2015 a change in the pension for MP's ensures that the age of full retirement for an MP having served at least 6 years, will no longer be 55 years but 65 years.
Thus any MP not yet 65 and who wants to benefit from the present pension scheme need only not run in the next election and thus will draw for 10 years longer a government pension of over $100,000/year.
For an elected MP approaching 55 and who is not running, that means about $1 million that he/she would not receive should he/she run and win again.
One should also add the severance premium (between $80,000 and $125,000) upon his/her departure. You can now understand better all these sudden "family emergencies", appreciate the newfound desire to advance his/her career in a government job or a committee of some sort and have two or three salaries (and possibly two or three pensions)."
Sauce is in comment on article about how many MP's are resigning: http://morningmail.org/senator-linda-reynolds-gets-guernsey/