Catch and Kill

Finalist for the Walkley Book Award

'Joel Deane writes about politics in the way it should be practised: with a cool head, a warm heart and a sense of humour.' George Megalogenis

'Deane's excellent book is a fascinating history of Labor politics.' James Campbell, Herald Sun

'Fascinating. We glimpse a world of ruthless deal and bitter counter allegiance...A crisp telling that flashes with moments of the poet's lyricism and insight.' The Age / Sydney Morning Herald

Power is the only measure of a politician that matters. How they win power. How they wield power. How they lose power. This new edition of an Australian classic features a new introduction by the author taking into account the latest developments in Australian politics.

Catch and Kill is an inside account of the beguiling and nomadic nature of that unholy trinity of politics. Taking us into the inner sanctum of state and national politics, Joel Deane investigates how four friends Steve Bracks, John Brumby, John Thwaites and Rob Hulls beat the factions, won office in Victoria, achieved progressive reforms, then tried to hijack Canberra. 'We were', Bracks says, 'a government that could catch and kill its own'.

Drawing on dozens of interviews with key figures, Deane provides a candid insight into the triumphs and failures of the Bracks-Brumby government, as well as those of its federal and state counterparts. He also shines a light on the personalities behind these decisions their ambitions, their passions and their disappointments.