An interview with Kevin Rudd requires patience. His moments of clarity have to break through the almost comical folksiness. His relentless message about the faceless men and Julia Gillard’s betrayal was more of a barrier to understanding than were Gillard’s ambiguities. The way through, I found, was trust, not combat.
Chris Evans suggested there had been a lot of revision about Rudd, that he was brilliant but that his personality was fatal to him. Rudd is complex, as Macklin said. People seem to enjoy their dislike of him. A series full of contempt was not one I could ever have made.
In his final words Alan Milburn had summed up the great betrayal of the era, not of the individuals but of the public who had voted Labor into power in 2007. Albanese was one of the few who saw the party turn its back on the public on the night of 23 June 2010. Does Labor see it now?
Julia Gillard remained guarded to the end. We walked through the basement corridors of the ABC after her final interview, down in a large props elevator to the back entrance where her Comcar was waiting, engine on. She told me as she had at our first meeting that I must examine the role of the media in supporting Rudd’s return. We said goodbye as formally as we began.
At the end of his interview, Rudd posed for a photo with the crew on the lot at Gore Hill, then left too in his Comcar. The crew and producers and I sat outside, drinking beer, talking quietly under the sodium lights. I hadn’t asked everything I wanted to, but I think I’d asked enough.
Acknowledgements
From The Killing Season family, thank you to Louie Eroglu, Greg Nelson, Lile Judickas, Simon Brynjolffssen and Deb McNamara, and to the following who assisted with the book: researcher Anne Worthington; peerless producer Justin Stevens, who brought so much game; executive producer Sue Spencer, who made the series happen and read the chapters of this book too.
Thanks to Deb Masters, original and gifted. Our intuitive collaboration brings the richest pleasure.
A special thanks to Dougal Robinson, who provided valuable additional research on the series and was an inspiring reader of the manuscript.
Thank you to everyone who was interviewed for the series, but particularly the staffers and public servants who didn’t have to say yes.
Thank you to Melbourne University Press: Paul Smitz for his patient editing; Cathy Smith; Sally Heath, for her guidance of the book, its ideas and direction.
Thanks to Louise Adler, the source of all the best ideas.
And from Sarah to Tony, thank you for everything.
The Killing Season Uncut Page 27