Triumph and Demise: The broken promise of a Labor generationDrawing on more than sixty on-the-record interviews with all the major players, Triumph and Demise is full of remarkable disclosures. It is the inside account of the hopes, achievements and bitter failures of the Labor Government from 2007 to 2013. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard came together to defeat John Howard, formed a brilliant partnership and raised the hopes of the nation. Yet they fell into tension and then hostility under the pressures of politics and policy. Veteran journalist Paul Kelly probes the dynamics of the Rudd-Gillard partnership and dissects what tore them apart. He tells the full story of Julia Gillard's tragedy as our first female prime minister—her character, Rudd's destabilisation, the carbon tax saga and how Gillard was finally pulled down on the eve of the 2013 election. Kelly documents the most misunderstood event in these years—the rise of Tony Abbott and the reason for his success. It was Abbott's performance that denied Rudd and Gillard the chance to recover. Labor misjudged Abbott and paid the price. Kelly writes with a keen eye and fearless determination. His central theme is that Australian politics has entered a crisis of the system that, unless corrected, will diminish the lives of all Australians. |
Contents
Fighting on Two Fronts | |
Shunning the Policy Challenge | |
The Death of Reform | |
The Curse of Prosperity | |
The RuddGillard Pact | |
An Alliance of Convenience | |
Rudds Triple Triumph | |
A Crisis in Governing | |
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agenda Albanese Arbib asked asylum seekers Australian Beazley became believed billion Bitar boom Bowen budget cabinet campaign carbon pricing caucus cent challenge Chris Chris Bowen Chris Evans climate change Coalition conservative Costello Crean crisis Dastyari December decision economic election Evans Faulkner February felt Ferguson fiscal Garnaut global Greens Greg Combet Hawke Henry Hockey Howard industry interview issue January judgement Julia Gillard July June Keating Kevin Rudd Kim Carr knew Labor Party Latham leader Liberal Malcolm Malcolm Turnbull Martin Ferguson meeting Minchin mining tax minority government never November numbers October Parliament Paul Kelly Penny Wong political polls position prime minister problem reform Roxon Rudd and Gillard Rudd-Gillard Rudd’s Rudd's office saying scheme Senate South Wales speech stimulus strategy surplus Sydney Morning Herald told Tony Abbott Tony Burke Treasury Turnbull unions wanted Wayne Swan Wong WorkChoices