As West Australian public servants wait to see if they will survive State Government reforms and police officers fight for a bigger wage increase, many of the politicians who used to oversee them are dealing with the reality of a 100 per cent pay cut.

For the nearly 30 MPs who lost their seats in the March election that swept the McGowan Government into power, gone are the six-figure salaries, staff, offices, VIP treatment and high public profile.

They have also lost their cars and some must hand back their phones, with all the perks replaced by months of soul-searching and, in many cases, a feeling of being lost and a reality of prolonged unemployment.

All of the former MPs the ABC spoke to stressed they were not looking for sympathy, saying the only difference between their situation and others in the community who have lost their jobs is the public nature of their defeat.

"It hurts," Andrea Mitchell, who was the mental health minister until the election, said.

"It was a shock, for me it was very unexpected."

Virtually nobody on either side gave her Labor candidate Jessica Stojkovski a realistic chance of winning Kingsley, which Ms Mitchell had held very safely for the Liberals.

But by the day after the election Ms Mitchell all but knew she had lost and that was officially confirmed later that week, with the final result a shock 307-vote Labor win.

Ms Mitchell's political stock had been on the rise, marked by her elevation to cabinet in 2016, but that came to a screeching halt in early March.

"People would ask you 'what are you going to do?' and I actually didn't know," she said.

"Now I tell people that I'm on long service leave, I'm just not getting paid."

Former minister turns Uber driver post-election

Former local government minister Tony Simpson took to Uber and delivery driving after his electoral loss. ( ABC News: Jacob Kagi )

In the aftermath of his defeat, former Barnett government local government minister Tony Simpson hit the road, with a friend paying him to complete a 4,100 kilometre delivery to Darwin.

Before picking up a job in the electorate office of shadow treasurer Dean Nalder, Mr Simpson also spent time working as an Uber driver.

"It was part of clearing my head, it gave me something to do and it was bringing in money," Mr Simpson said.

Mr Simpson saw his primary vote nearly halve in his defeat to Labor's Barry Urban in Darling Range and admitted the result hit him hard.

"You have to go into an office and clean out 12 years worth of work and a couple of staff members [go] out the door and have to try to work out what to do," he said.

"It takes a while to work out why [voters] rejected you, but you have to keep telling yourself it wasn't you, the swing was on."

Generous pension scheme no longer on table

Former Nationals MP Paul Brown lost his bid for the seat of Geraldton. ( ABC News: Claire Moodie )

Defeated MPs do receive a "resettlement allowance" based on their length of parliamentary service, and for long-serving politicians that can be a six-figure amount.

One-term MPs got $40,000 while those who served two terms received $80,000, but nearly half of that gets taken by the tax man.

Few receive the generous pension scheme of yesteryear anymore — John Day was the only defeated member in 2017 who was eligible for it — and many say the immediate loss of income creates a headache as they attempt to pay mortgages and feed their families.

"It put us under immediate financial pressure … you virtually step off solid ground into fresh air," former Nationals MP Paul Brown said.

But it was the other factors that were particularly tough on Mr Brown, who moved his family to Geraldton prior to an unsuccessful attempt to switch from the Upper House to win that seat.

"I went from someone seen as a leader in the community to someone that was essentially a loser," he said.

"For my family it was very hard, my wife took it very hard and that was quite distressing for me to see."

'All of a sudden it's gone'

Former Greens MP Lynn MacLaren lost despite an improved overall performance from her party, leaving her with a bittersweet feeling in the aftermath of the campaign.

Former WA Greens MP Lynn MacLaren says she put her heart and soul into her work. ( Supplied )

"You put your heart and soul into your work and then all of a sudden it is gone," she said.

"It is frightening … it is hard to find a new cause, a new direction and a new source of income."

Mike Nahan, who survived the massive swing to Labor, sympathised with his colleagues who were not so lucky.

"They are humans and many of them are struggling," the Liberal leader said.

"It is really difficult, especially if you have young children or large mortgages."

Support in place, some perks continue

Former MPs are not cut entirely loose by the system, however.

A booklet provided by Parliament outlines a list of benefits they are eligible for, such as dining room and gym privileges within the building, and offers professional counselling to those struggling with their defeat.

But it also comes with reminders of their new reality. Within three days, outgoing MPs received a departure "checklist", telling them they have a little over a week to vacate their office and reminding them their next pay cheque would be their last.

While some are still looking for employment, others did not need to look far — with Mr Brown, Mr Simpson and former Upper House Liberal Alyssa Hayden among those now working for current MPs.

Others have made no secret of their desire to resurrect their political careers, with defeated Liberals Mark Lewis and Michael Sutherland both putting their hands up for a vacant Senate seat.

Many also spoke of the "silver lining" to their situation, particularly in the ability to reconnect with family and friends who often get sacrificed due to the long hours of political life.

Former corrective services minister Joe Francis, who is still searching for work, said his biggest task since his defeat had been spending more time with his family after years of sacrifices due to his cabinet position.

"I didn't do an awful lot for a couple of months besides play with my daughter," Mr Francis said.

"She is my best friend, she is awesome."