As Australia grapples with its local version of a global energy price and supply shock, it's worth contemplating whether the post-political careers of Liberal and Labor energy and resources ministers has contributed to the problem.

Former WA Liberal premier Colin Barnett said as much on ABC radio this week when he pointed out that Labor’s Martin Ferguson and former Coalition resources minister Ian Macfarlane vociferously opposed any form of east coast gas reservation system similar to the setup in Western Australia.

Australia has a long history of former ministers and premiers cashing in on their political connections with great haste, a broad issue the new federal integrity commission will no doubt look at.