After several months in the political wilderness, Dr Kelly told his supporters that the latest federal budget had him fired up to seek a return to politics.

“For those of you who have been asking what I am going to do next, I can tell you I have now made up my mind,” Dr Kelly said. “I have been mulling this over for eight months and thought very carefully about it.

“My mind has been made up in the last few weeks watching the Commission of Audit and this brutal budget, on top of everything else we have seen from the Abbott government. I have also watched Peter Hendy as our Member and been appalled by his total lack of passion and commitment to our region and community.

“As a result I have decided to put my name forward for pre-selection to re-contest Eden Monaro,” he said.

However new member for Eden-Monaro, Dr Peter Hendy, said Kelly was suffering from “massive relevance deprivation syndrome.”

“The last time we heard from Kelly he said he was going to run for the Senate. That was a failed bid, and he actually withdrew, so who knows what he’s going to do,” Dr Hendy said.

“It looks to me that people like Mike Kelly and [former state member] Steve Whan are running more for their personal ambition and ego rather than in the best interests of the people of the electorate.

“On the budget, we are fixing the problems that Kelly and his mates caused, and the people of Queanbeyan have Kelly to thank for a massive deficit and debt problem. And I confidently say that after three years, this budget will actually have people in Queanbeyan better off than they would have been,” Dr Hendy said.

Dr Kelly would first have to win preselection for the seat from the Labor party before mounting any challenge against Dr Hendy.