Year's end can be a contemplative time, a time when we reassess our lives or even commit to changes to embrace in the New Year.

So it is for Stephen Conroy. Having quit politics in September, the former senator will soon take up a new role that will again see him strolling the long corridors of power in Parliament House, though he might have to dump what's left of his conscience in the bin by the door as he arrives.

The former minister for the digital economy will serve as executive director of a new outfit called Responsible Wagering Australia, a creation of CrownBet, Sportsbet, Betfair, Unibet and Bet365.

Now even if you just spewed a bit in the back of your throat at the thought of a Labor man - a man who in his first speech to parliament declared his devotion to civilising capitalism - becoming a hired gun for an industry whose business model is based on the ruthless exploitation of all Australians, but in particular working class Australians, you should perhaps not be surprised by it.