Life's hard for many of us

One of the great cliches in politics is, when someone quits, they want to "spend more time with their family”

QUITTING POLITICS: Member for Perth Tim Hammond , with his wife Lindsay and seven-month-old son Tully, is resigning from Federal Parliament because of the toll it has taken on his family. Picture: AAP/REBECCA LE MAY

ONE of the great cliches in politics is, when someone quits, they want to "spend more time with their family”.

This is often a cover for the real story, but that's apparently not the case for WA Labor MP Tim Hammond, who didn't just quit the party's front bench this week, but the whole Parliament.

He needs to stay in Perth to be the kind of dad he wants to be.

Now none of us know what really happens in someone else's family, and I wish him nothing but the best, but can everyone spare us the hand-wringing about how hard being a politician is.

This may surprise you to read but, yes, it is a hard job. The hours are long, the events are endless and helping people get a result from the bureaucracy is relentless. It's one of those jobs where the gig comes first, everything else second.

But let's also make this clear - they apply to do this job. In fact, there is often an almighty fight to even win a spot on the ballot paper. Once they get there, they are paid more than $200,000 to be a backbencher and it goes up and up with every step in the political ladder.

These people are not conscripts, they are volunteers and they know this is a three-year gig.

Hammond is pulling out with a year to go until the election, meaning the people of Perth will have to vote once now and once again next year.

Again, we don't know what happens behind closed doors, but this bloke could have quit the front bench to cut down on travel, asked for leave from the speaker to cut down some of the days he needs to be in Canberra and told everyone he doesn't want to go round again at the next election.

Instead, he's pulled the pin entirely and it sparked a flood of comment from the political class about how hard the Canberra life is.

Well, newsflash everyone - life is hard. Work is hard and there are millions of Australians who can't be the parents they want to be because they have to work.

They have to work all night as a cop, drive for days in a truck, fly off to a mine, do double-shift as a nurse, and get up early to run their own business.

The fact that this is lost on the people who write our laws and comment on the people who write them is emblematic of an insider class that plays games among themselves while we all pay for it.

LET'S MAKE DOLLY'S DREAM COME TRUE

THERE'S a million good causes asking for precious donations from the public. But can I encourage you to take the time to send some support the way of Dolly's Dream.

The fund was started by the parents of Dolly Everett, the teenager who took her own life after being bullied earlier this year. Dolly was the face of R.M. Williams.

Dolly's parents want to raise money to prevent the impact of bullying on other kids that drove their daughter to her death.

All donations over $2 are tax-deductable. Visit gofundme.com/dollysdream.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifelineon 13 11 14.

Don't miss the special episode of Paul Murray LIVE from Beef Week in Rockhampton on Wednesday, May 9.

Originally published as Life's hard for many of us