The Fifth Estate: The Killing Season with Sarah Ferguson

Join acclaimed journalist Sarah Ferguson (The Killing Season) and host Sally Warhaft for a conversation about Labor, leadership and loyalty.
Labor romped to victory under Kevin Rudd in 2007, with a comfortable majority and generous reserves of public goodwill. How did they manage to squander that goodwill, and trash their own brand so thoroughly that they were out of office again within just six years? Alan Milburn, a campaign strategist for Tony Blair and later for Julia Gillard has said he’s ‘never seen anything like it in any country, anywhere, anytime, in any part of the world’.
Milburn was one of more than 100 politicians, staffers, public servants and political insiders journalist Sarah Ferguson interviewed for the riveting ABC documentary series The Killing Season, about this extraordinary period of ALP infighting and implosion.
Ferguson had to edit those interviews back to three one-hour episodes - an unenviable task indeed - but her new book, The Killing Season Uncut, goes behind the scenes of the series, revealing material that didn’t make the final cut. The book has much to tell about this turbulent period in ALP history but also provides fascinating insights into the processes of Ferguson - one of Australia’s most celebrated, agenda-setting journalists.

[@Dreamer10888]

sarah F being able to succintly talk like this is just a talent and skill i can never have

[@Millez]

Listening back on this, it almost sounds inevitable that Anthony Albanese wound up as ALP leader - and of course Prime Minister.

[@ericstewart7269]

Fact: Her sisters in her Labor party sisterhood voted to replace her with Kevin [ a man ] Rudd. Hello Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Nicola Roxon, Jenny Macklin.

[@maryann2970]

As an American who just watched the documentary and some surrounding interviews, can someone explain why Sarah Ferguson doesn't like Kevin Rudd?

[@michaelh5327]

I get the impression she doesn't like Kevin's high opinion of himself, and views him as an egomaniac.

[@paulmichaeldavis215]

It's interesting because I think there is such a lesson to be learned here. Julia Gillard took out a man in his first term. She was not going to deal with Rudd, his arrogance, or the fact that she was kept waiting for the party. I was sickened when Rudd came back. I love her defensive instinct. It's something I wish we could have copied in 2016, but we thought it ok to make it dim. She saw all of you first, and she called it out. And she was destroyed because of it.

[@harifederer]

Kept waiting for the party? Tell that to Peter Costello or Paul Keating who waited multiple election terms before being considered for leadership. Julia couldn’t even wait one full term. Rudd wouldn’t be the first leader who was arrogant or who had policy mishaps but he deserved to put himself forward for reelection. His silent stabbing in an election year destabilised the Labour Party for a decade and killed any legitimacy that Gillard could have had as a leader. It was a woefully stupid decision by Gillard, Swan and the faceless men.