KK: The most important factor was COVID and its impacts … Fowler had the hardest and longest confinements in the state, with the support of both Liberals and Labor, and there was an understandable sense of anger in the two main parties, with people reacting with “a smallpox in your two houses.” At the same time, you had a strong independent candidate and a wealthy Clive Palmer-funded UAP, and although the UAP did not to win a seat, the impact that Palmer had was to reduce the votes of the primaries of the main parties and deprive the main parties of seats in the Senate and preferences for seats in the lower house.
Kristina Keneally and Penny Wong in the Senate in 2020. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Fitz: Surely you regret moving to Fowler in the first place?
KK: No, I made the conscious decision to leave the Senate. I loved working with my Senate colleagues, especially Katy Gallagher and Penny Wong, but the work of the Senate (House of Representatives) was not the reason I went to parliament, and my husband he told me several times over the last three years. who seemed neither happy nor satisfied. And I wasn’t. jo he chose to try to go to the House of Representatives because I felt that was where I could make my best contribution.
Fitz: Did the ALP suggest Fowler, or did you ask?
KK: Members of the Fowler branch, whom I have known for years, approached me when Chris Hayes retired and asked me to consider it. I don’t regret saying yes. I knew it was a risk, but I would rather risk taking the right result than not take any risks at all.
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Fitz: Can we agree, given the result, that the idea was wrong? And that central issue was that you weren’t really from Fowler. And in a highly multicultural community, you faced a very strong local opponent in Dai Le, who looked like she was, a real member of that local community, while you looked like you were, a rich white woman from distant places. on a parachute?
KK: Like I said, I think the impact of the COVID blockades had a lot more to do with it and it was a lot more at stake during the day. Those harsh blockades generated an understandable sense of parochialism that the community had been left behind by the two major political parties. And I sincerely believe that whether the Labor Party addressed me or anyone else to Fowler, they would have faced the same set of challenges.
Fitz: When did you realize, “Dorothy, we’re a long way from Kansas and we’re in real trouble”?
KK: Throughout the campaign, it seemed to be going well, and almost every major community group supported me. The people were lovely and enthusiastic at the train stations and at the street stops. We had hundreds of volunteers. But when the pre-poll started, the number of people who only took the UAP voting cards seemed abnormally high to me. And anger over blockades and vaccine warrants seemed uncomfortable with what he had seen in the rest of the country. And I had one or two unpleasant encounters, during the previous polls, where I started to think that this was not going as we expected. But I made sure everything was fine.
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Fitz: At the beginning of the campaign, the tragic death of your colleague in the ALP Senate, Kimberley Kitching, occurred. You, Penny Wong, and Katy Gallagher were immediately branded “bad girls,” with the shocking allegation that was made – and really was so cruel – that your pettiness had helped kill her. Was this supposed to be surprisingly difficult, both personally and politically?
KK: (Long pause.) Yes.
Fitz: Did you shed tears?
KK: I shed tears for Kimberley. I sat next to Kimberley for a year and a half in the Senate. And I always described her as “good bad company.” I mean it was a lot of fun to be with her, but you always knew you were flirting with a bit of danger and intrigue.
Fitz: How is that?
KK: She was incredibly smart and a perversely smart political operator. I respected her.
Fitz: Were you bad at it?
KK: No.
Fitz: But there were certainly allegations that he was leaking Labor Party stuff to opponents. It would not be reasonable for the three of you to say, in your own way, “Please stop it!”
KK: (Pause.) I was right with her. Always. We were all.
Kristina Keneally’s decision to run for a seat in the lower house sparked a debate on ethnic diversity in the Labor Party. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Fitz: And yet, was the fact that you were right in the middle of the real half of politics hurt you? Someone who will remain nameless – let’s say “Albo” – told me a few months ago that you were the inner center of the ALP, catching the ball over and over again, making the hard yards in question after problem. . Would you ever want to be an extreme, even a left winger, dancing around the edges and away from the furious fights?
KK: (Laughter.) Well, I was a deputy vice president in the Senate and a shadow minister, but in particular I had the job of kicking and holding the government accountable; it’s a job I’m very good at. And in fact, Albo once described me as his Sam Burgess, running around and tackling them face to face. And it is a job that needs to be done in politics.
Fitz: But you lost a bit of barking along the way.
KK: Yeah, but I’ve always wanted to be in the middle. You only have one chance at life. And I’ve always been a “no-brainer” player. But we are fighting for power in politics. And for those of us in the Labor Party, it’s not power for the sake of it. It’s the power to do good things for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our community. Now, when you seek power, people will try to destroy you. No one gives away power. You have to get it out of your hands. And you have to fight like hell to do it. And it can hurt, but you have to fight for them.
Fitz: Have you been talking to Albo since Saturday?
KK: Yes. I just talked on the phone with Air Force One President Biden, which is great. He was very supportive, as always.
Fitz: Did you make any promises about future appointments of any kind?
KK: No, it was just, “Are you okay, my friend?”
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Fitz: And you?
KK: Yes. When I lost Caroline, I thought my life was over. I dropped out of my PhD, gave up my dreams of being a college professor. And a few years later, I had the opportunity to run for the state parliament which led to me becoming NSW’s first female Prime Minister. What an amazing experience. What an incredible honor. When Labor lost the government after 16 years in power in 2011, I had the opportunity to lead Basketball Australia, participate in the Olympics and win a medal, before hosting a program for Sky News with my very own good friend Peter van Onselen, before I became an ALP senator. Every time in my life, when something unexpected, unplanned and unfortunate happened, something unpredictable and extraordinary happened. I have found in my life that when God closes the door, she opens a window and I am just waiting to see which window will open this time.
Fitz: Is it possible that the window that opens for you will lead to the Vatican, which, as Tim Fischer did, become Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See?
KK: When I was Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull once offered it to me.
Fitz: Why didn’t you catch him?
KK: I said thank you, but my kids are in high school and they need their mom to be here for them.
Fitz: What would you say now? Or, for example, was he offered the position of Australian ambassador to the United States? These are two positions for which you seem to be well qualified.
KK: I’m happy right now to breathe and think less of the next big one and more of the right one.
Fitz: How hard has it been to just breathe while being chased by cameras and reporters? This week there were pictures of you on Channel Nine dodging a camera taking refuge behind your child, which made you look more like a crime figure than someone who didn’t really get enough votes.
KK: Well, the media is needed in a democracy, and you know what they say, “Politics is the show for ugly people.” But yes, it has been intrusive.
Fitz: Maybe to get away from them, you could move to an island … oh wait! You already have a home on the Isle of Scotland. Now, before you start the campaign, you said that by winning, losing or drawing, you would be living in Liverpool at Fowler’s headquarters. Will you
Kristina Keneally with her family in 2018. Credit: Marco Del Grande
KK: In fact, I’m thinking a lot about what I’m going to do next.
Fitz: And?
KK: We’re working on it. The only firm decision I have made is to get rid of all my social media accounts. Social media has become an angry place. However, when you are in politics, you have to be there. But now I don’t need threats of violence, suggestions that should be raped in groups or any of the other comments that women usually receive on social media. So while I don’t know what to do next, whether it’s in a public or private role, I’m pretty sure it won’t require me to be on Twitter.
Fitz: If this is really the end of your political career, what are your big regrets? And your greatest satisfaction?
KK: I don’t live with remorse. Life is too short. I learn from experiences but I don’t live with remorse. Saturday’s win was very satisfying. Also, working on the intelligence and security committee for the last three years on issues like right-wing extremism has been incredibly important to our nation. My greatest pride is that I set up a research on natal death. Australia now has a national action plan for the dead. The lives of babies are already being saved. This is amazing.
Fitz: Okay, if that’s your farewell to politics, can you throw us a couple of war stories, some things we don’t know?
KK: (Laugh) Matt Canavan is a lovely guy, even though we don’t agree on anything. Senator Anne Ruston and I …