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Authors: Sarah Ferguson
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dealing with cunning Kevin?
Ruddâs performance on the second day was different to the first. He had recorded the first dayâs interview on a mobile phone and, I guessed, listened to it overnight. When we resumed, his delivery was different, answering as if in a press conference, creating unnatural sound bites. I tried to lead him back into a conversation but it didnât work. By the end of the day I thought we had little good material and weâd used up a lot of time.
After dinner Deb Masters and I walked back to our hotel through the gas-lit cobbled streets of Bostonâs Beacon Hill. Like Washington, where I used to live, the residents keep their shutters open, allowing passers-by a glimpse into the heart of the house. As we crossed Louisburg Square, Secretary of State John Kerry emerged from his front door and stepped into a black SUV. A convoy of black cars pulled in behind him, the flashing lights and sirens momentarily distracting me.
Back in my drab hotel room, I watched the interview on my computer. I paused it after ten minutes, leaving Ruddâs face frozen in close-up, and sat on my bed staring at his image. We were supposed to be telling a drama and this dialogue felt like a civics class. Deb Masters came in and said, âItâs not as bad as you thinkâ.
âDonât cheer me upâ, I half-shouted, unreasonably. âItâs awful.â
Later, I rang my husband Tony Jones back in Australia: âIâm not getting anywhere. What am I doing wrong?â He laughed and said it was like a scene from
Frost/Nixon
, the 2008 movie about the interviews British journalist David Frost conducted with Richard Nixon three years after the US President had left the White House. Part way through the interviews, an anxious Frost calls his producer because they are going badly: Nixon is easily getting the better of him.
âJust go for itâ, Tony said. âYou donât need to be so cautious. Heâs not going to walk out now.â Iâm no Frost and Rudd is no Nixon, but the simple suggestion made sense. Having come this far and knowing that Gillard had agreed to an interview, the risk of Rudd pulling out was very low.
In the morning I pulled on my tight purple jacket for the third time. Itâs not easy to find clothes that can hold continuity over three days without washing, the days ended too late for dry-cleaning, and I couldnât wash heavy winter clothes in a hotel sink. Perhaps a better-prepared interviewer would have packed three identical jackets. An international rowing regatta was taking place in Cambridge that weekend and the banks of the Charles River were busy with trailers unloading boats. Driving to the studio, I watched the crews on the water, gliding under the bridges, and hoped for a better encounter with Rudd.
Rudd arrived late to the studio with non-matching suit trousers. He had fallen over and torn his suit pants, so no shots below the waist. He seemed more relaxed.
Â
The first topic on that last day was a sensitive one for Rudd: the second stimulus package announced by the government in February 2009. When they announced the details of the first stimulus, the government was already contemplating the next instalment.
In January, Rudd delivered a series of speeches in cities around the country to mark Australia Day. Ministers and officials followed him. Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner was part of the travelling caravan.
We had to put together the stimulus package while this was happening ⦠I can remember grizzling to myself, âGod, if this is January, imagine what the rest of the yearâs going to look like!â I had days when I was on four flights and Iâm sure there are some of my colleagues who probably could have topped that.
Treasury secretary Ken Henry understood the Prime Ministerâs caution about the implications for the Budget.
At some point it became clear to him that the actions he was going to
Ruddâs performance on the second day was different to the first. He had recorded the first dayâs interview on a mobile phone and, I guessed, listened to it overnight. When we resumed, his delivery was different, answering as if in a press conference, creating unnatural sound bites. I tried to lead him back into a conversation but it didnât work. By the end of the day I thought we had little good material and weâd used up a lot of time.
After dinner Deb Masters and I walked back to our hotel through the gas-lit cobbled streets of Bostonâs Beacon Hill. Like Washington, where I used to live, the residents keep their shutters open, allowing passers-by a glimpse into the heart of the house. As we crossed Louisburg Square, Secretary of State John Kerry emerged from his front door and stepped into a black SUV. A convoy of black cars pulled in behind him, the flashing lights and sirens momentarily distracting me.
Back in my drab hotel room, I watched the interview on my computer. I paused it after ten minutes, leaving Ruddâs face frozen in close-up, and sat on my bed staring at his image. We were supposed to be telling a drama and this dialogue felt like a civics class. Deb Masters came in and said, âItâs not as bad as you thinkâ.
âDonât cheer me upâ, I half-shouted, unreasonably. âItâs awful.â
Later, I rang my husband Tony Jones back in Australia: âIâm not getting anywhere. What am I doing wrong?â He laughed and said it was like a scene from
Frost/Nixon
, the 2008 movie about the interviews British journalist David Frost conducted with Richard Nixon three years after the US President had left the White House. Part way through the interviews, an anxious Frost calls his producer because they are going badly: Nixon is easily getting the better of him.
âJust go for itâ, Tony said. âYou donât need to be so cautious. Heâs not going to walk out now.â Iâm no Frost and Rudd is no Nixon, but the simple suggestion made sense. Having come this far and knowing that Gillard had agreed to an interview, the risk of Rudd pulling out was very low.
In the morning I pulled on my tight purple jacket for the third time. Itâs not easy to find clothes that can hold continuity over three days without washing, the days ended too late for dry-cleaning, and I couldnât wash heavy winter clothes in a hotel sink. Perhaps a better-prepared interviewer would have packed three identical jackets. An international rowing regatta was taking place in Cambridge that weekend and the banks of the Charles River were busy with trailers unloading boats. Driving to the studio, I watched the crews on the water, gliding under the bridges, and hoped for a better encounter with Rudd.
Rudd arrived late to the studio with non-matching suit trousers. He had fallen over and torn his suit pants, so no shots below the waist. He seemed more relaxed.
Â
The first topic on that last day was a sensitive one for Rudd: the second stimulus package announced by the government in February 2009. When they announced the details of the first stimulus, the government was already contemplating the next instalment.
In January, Rudd delivered a series of speeches in cities around the country to mark Australia Day. Ministers and officials followed him. Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner was part of the travelling caravan.
We had to put together the stimulus package while this was happening ⦠I can remember grizzling to myself, âGod, if this is January, imagine what the rest of the yearâs going to look like!â I had days when I was on four flights and Iâm sure there are some of my colleagues who probably could have topped that.
Treasury secretary Ken Henry understood the Prime Ministerâs caution about the implications for the Budget.
At some point it became clear to him that the actions he was going to
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