Kelly's skating on thin ice with that excuse

Jackie Kelly, pictured with some poofter, farewells her western Sydney electorate. Or something.


The workload of a Federal backbencher and parent is almost to great to bear, according to the outgoing member for the western Sydney seat of Lindsay, Jackie Kelly.

Kelly, 43, and with almost 11 wasted years behind her in her Penrith-based seat, says she blames her "gruelling workload" and the pressures of raising her two children for causing her to run her car into a tree at 80 clicks, writing it off, after working on a Liberal Party stall at a Blue Mountains school fete in 2003. She says the accident almost killed her, her then three-year-old daughter Dominique and son Lachlan, then 1.

"I kept thinking I could keep going, keep carrying the pack, but then I would think of these two little people that I nearly killed,'' she said.

Kelly broke down at a Liberal Party state conference last week, explaining why she just had to walk away from politics.

Because of the fatigue and the strain.

Four years after her dreadful accident.

Just as the Libs look like getting a walloping in outer suburban mortgage belt seats just like hers.

Now she has qualified for her parliamentary super.

And, as the photo above might suggest, about a year after she took time out from her job - and, presumably, her little cherubs - to strap on her skates and perform in the Nine Network's Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice.

Happily for us little people, Kelly feels very bad about her decision and fears people who have supported her in the past might think she's an "ungrateful cow".

"It was simply a way of saying thank you and apologise for squibbing it,'' she said. "I did feel guilty - it's an awful time to go - and I kept talking myself out of it. But I've been thinking of leaving since the car accident in 2003.''

Yes, Jackie. I'm sure all the hard working party faithful types aren't hoping you take your hefty super payout and choke on it. And I know I'm not willing the same fate on you, bitch.