| The Honourable Dr. Mike Kelly AM, MP |
|
|---|---|
| Mike Kelly at the Wagga Wagga RAAF Museum December 2008 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Eden-Monaro |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 24 November 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Gary Nairn |
| Majority | 4.2% |
| Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 14 September 2010 |
|
| Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support & Parliamentary Secretary for Water | |
| In office 24 November 2007 – 14 September 2010 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 February 1960 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Shelley |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University University of New South Wales |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Website | http://www.mikekelly.alp.org.au/ |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1987–2007 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | War in Bosnia and Herzegovina Operation Restore Hope International Force for East Timor Iraq War |
| Awards | Member of the Order of Australia |
Michael Joseph "Mike" Kelly AM, MP (born 23 February 1960), is an Australian politician, elected to the Australian House of Representatives as member for the Division of Eden-Monaro, New South Wales for the Australian Labor Party at the 2007 federal election. On election he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support and in 2009 he was also appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Water. With the re-elected Labor Government's regional focus, Kelly was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in September 2010.
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Kelly was educated at Asquith Boys High School[1] and graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws in 1983. He joined the ADF Legal Corps in 1987, and in 1999 obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of New South Wales. The research work undertaken for his doctoral dissertation has subsequently formed the basis for two books: Peace Operations: Tackling the Military, Legal and Policy Challenges, and Restoring and Maintaining Order in Complex Peace Operations: The Search for a Legal Framework.[2]
Kelly is a former Australian Army lawyer with expertise in peacekeeping missions and occupations.[3] He joined the military in 1987, served in Somalia, East Timor and Bosnia, and was among senior Australian military personnel in the Iraq War. In 1993 he was awarded the Chief of the General Staff Commendation, and in 1994 was made a Member of the Order of Australia, in recognition of his work in Somalia.[4] In June 2003 he inspected detention facilities in Iraq, including those at Abu Ghraib, and reported to the Australian Government on the treatment of detainees.[3] He finished his military career in 2007 with the rank of Colonel as Director of Army Legal Services.[2]
Kelly was actively involved in two major capital case prosecutions while serving as a Legal Officer, that of Saddam Hussein[5] and, in Somalia, the warlord Hussan Gutaale Abdul.[6]
Gutaale, who among many other things had attacked and killed 16 aid workers and repeatedly driven an armoured car into emaciated refugees awaiting food distribution,[6] was arrested by an Australian patrol, held in a cage at Baidoa airport and later flown to Mogadishu to be held by US forces. He was found guilty of 31 counts of murder by a panel of three judges and sentenced to 20 years' hard labour.[6] Appeals were immediately made, with the prosecution demanding the death penalty mandatory for murder under the Somali Penal Code.[6]
A panel of six judges heard the appeal, upheld the previous verdicts and imposed the sentence of death to be carried out forthwith. "The court errupted in mayhem"[6] and Gutaale physically attacked Kelly. Eventually a group of engineers arrived, Gutaale was handcuffed and Kelly wrestled him along the roadway to his place of execution. Gutaale was handed over to the Somali police and executed on the spot.
Kelly summed up his thoughts: "Before I left Australia I had my own views on capital punishment. I was leaning fairly heavily towards the negative side. But the death of Gutaale was far more than an execution following a criminal conviction, it was more an act of communal self defence. If I was moved in any way, it was seeing Gutaale's mother in the court. She was concerned and upset, but having sat through countless statements from people who had suffered from what he had done and not just killings, but cruel killings and senseless brutality I knew too much of what he had done, and what he was capable of. I couldn't, have any sympathy for him. ... I have absolutely no personal regrets about Gutaale's execution ... I'll have to admit that even when I saw him wallowing in his own blood and excrement I felt no remorse or pity, only relief. There was no other way of stopping him."[6]
In the 2007 federal election Kelly stood as the Labor candidate for the marginal NSW country electorate of Eden-Monaro, regarded as a "bellwether seat". He was criticised by his opponent, long-standing Liberal member Gary Nairn for not residing in the electorate prior to his nomination, and for not facing a local preselection.[7] Nairn's chief of staff also publicly likened Kelly to a Belsen concentration camp guard for serving in the military in Iraq despite opposing the war itself.[8] The reference became a high-profile campaign issue, with claims that Nairn's office had subsequently promoted the claim using public rather than party funds.[9] The comment was subsequently withdrawn and an apology forwarded to media outlets and to Kelly.[10]
At the election on 24 November 2007, Kelly won the seat with a 6.67% two party preferred swing,[11] and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support in the incoming Rudd Government and in 2009 he was also appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Water. After a redistribution changed the boundaries of Eden-Monaro, Kelly defeated Liberal candidate David Gazard in the 2010 Federal Election with a swing of 2%. In a reshuffle after the 2010 Federal Election he was moved from Defence Support and Water, and was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | ||
| Australian Active Service Medal | with 2 Clasps | |
| Iraq Medal | ||
| Australian Service Medal | with 1 Clasp | |
| Defence Long Service Medal with one Rosette | 20-24 years service | |
| Australian Defence Medal | ||
| United Nations Medal |
He is married to Shelly and has one son.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mike_Kelly_(politician) Mike Kelly (politician)] at Wikimedia Commons
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gary Nairn |
Member for Eden-Monaro 2007–present |
Incumbent |