Kelly: It has broken my heart to do this
Mike Kelly took the “gut-wrenching” decision to resign because of serious kidney issues and deteriorating osteoarthritis.
Labor MP Mike Kelly took the “gut-wrenching” decision to resign from parliament because serious kidney issues and deteriorating osteoarthritis from his army service had hampered his ability to travel through his regional seat of Eden-Monaro.
Dr Kelly's renal system was damaged from severe dehydration during military tours in Somalia, East Timor, Bosnia and Iraq.
“I really do regret it, it has broken my heart to do this. It’s gut-wrenching,” he said on Thursday.
“I certainly couldn’t cope mentally with not being able to go full pace at this job,” he said.
The former army colonel was the highest ranked officer to represent the modern Labor Party in parliament. “My whole life of 36 years of public service has been body and soul into whatever I've done, and I’m paying a bit of a heavy price for that at the moment,” he said.
He broke down as he thanked his family for their support.
The former minister for defence material apologised for distracting from the national crises of coronavirus and bushfire recovery, a major issue in his electorate that encompasses the southeastern corner of NSW from Bega to Queanbeyan and the Snowy Mountains.
He said a new member should steer the region through the bushfire and coronavirus recovery sooner rather than later.
Dr Kelly won the seat in 2007 before losing it at the 2013 election. He again won Eden-Monaro in 2016 and held on to the seat when the Coalition retained government in 2019.
Dr Kelly said he was proud of his achievements in parliament, where he had made friends on all sides of the chamber. “I’m proud of the improvements to primary healthcare in the region, the establishment of the South East Regional Hospital, as well as the NDIS,” he said.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese described Dr Kelly as an extraordinary Australian who had brought a great deal of dignity, talent, capacity and commitment to this parliament.
The Opposition Leader’s predecessor, Bill Shorten, described Dr Kelly as a greatly loved figure within the party, who would be missed in parliament.
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