Labor senator Stephen Conroy says he is "embarrassed" he did not share the news of his shock resignation with Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek before it was made public.

Senator Conroy caught many of his colleagues by surprise when he tabled, but did not read, a retirement speech in the Senate on Thursday night.

Ms Plibersek was not aware of the Senator's retirement when journalists asked her about it on Friday morning.

Senator Conroy told Sky News he has apologised to Ms Plibersek.

"I have to say I'm embarrassed about poor Tanya, she's a very dear friend of mine," Senator Conroy said.

"I didn't know that Tanya was doing a press conference so I take full responsibility for that and I have apologised profusely."

Sorry, this video has expired Stephen Conroy tables a speech in the Senate

Senator Conroy has defended tabling, but not reading the speech, to the Senate, and said he would have "struggled" to deliver it.

"Many of my colleagues and closest friends would say to you that they'd have taken a bet on how far I'd have got through the first page before I would've struggled a little bit to get it all out," he said.

"I actually really wanted it to be read as a piece, not with me struggling to get through the pages in a TV shot."

Media environment tough, fierce: Conroy

Senator Conroy revealed he was not sure he would recommend a career in politics, largely due to the "tough" and "fierce" continuous news cycle.

"The 24/7 media cycle has to find stories, it has to create them, beat them up, fabricate them along the way at times," he said.

"If a young person, 25 [years old], walked up to me and said 'look I really loved your career, I really admired what you've done in politics, I really want to go into politics', I'm not sure I could put my hand on my heart any more and say 'hey, look, go for it, go for it like I did'.

"It is a pretty tough, fierce media environment out there today and that's a little sad because I think being in politics is a noble profession."

In the speech that was tabled, Senator Conroy marked the pressure of the job, citing "glances and scowls as you walk down the street", and the need to spend time with his family.

"When you resent being in Canberra because you are missing your daughter's soccer training, it is time to retire from the Federal Parliament," he said.

Senator Conroy was re-elected for a six-year term at the July 2 election, in the middle of an ongoing scandal over AFP raids on his office related to leaks from the National Broadband Network.

Since entering politics in 1996, Senator Conroy has served as minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy and minister assisting the prime minister on digital productivity.

He has also served in a number of shadow ministries, including defence, sport, trade and finance.

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