The road to ruin : how Tony Abbott and Peta Credlin destroyed their own government

"There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping." – Tony Abbott, 15 September 2015 In the original edition of The Road to Ruin, prominent political commentator, author, and columnist for The Australian Niki Savva revealed the ruinous behaviour of former prime minister Tony Abbott and his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. Based on her unrivalled access to their colleagues, and devastating first-person accounts of what went on behind the scenes, Savva painted an unforgettable picture of a unique duo who wielded power ruthlessly but not well. Now Savva continues where she left off. This updated edition contains a new, 13,500-word final chapter, in which Savva reveals the inner state of the Turnbull government — and the behind-the-scenes jockeying of friends and foes alike. From Christopher Pyne’s career-stalling own goal to Peter Dutton’s post-Turnbull leadership ambitions, to Tony Abbott’s ramped-up destabilisation campaign, it is, as usual, an unputdownable and impeccably sourced account. "‘[W]ell researched and well written, with a sharp eye — albeit with an occasional, serrated edge. Savva has written a book in which it is easy to be immersed. The narrative unfolds in a convincing flow, sourced directly from the words of many of the players: the bruised and battered; the disillusioned and disaffected; and ultimately in the triumphant voices of the Coalition plotters ... [A] compelling book that has established an indelible and influential benchmark for explaining the turbulent rise and tumultuous fall of the Abbott government." - Stephen Loosely, Weekend Australia WINNER OF THE 2017 AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS, GENERAL NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER OF THE 2016 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ‘There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping.'–Tony Abbott, 15 September 2015 Abbott's performances in the party-room debates on education and climate change had ranged between woeful and pathetic. He sounded desperate, he was inconsistent, and — his colleagues thought — slightly ridiculous. They knew he would never stop going after cheap headlines during soft interviews where he sucked up the oxygen, with revision and division as his calling cards. All they could hope was that people would soon grow tired of listening to him. Normal people might have, but the media grew more and more hysterical, as if a challenge were imminent. In the original edition of The Road to Ruin, prominent political commentator, author, and columnist for The Australian Niki Savva revealed the ruinous behaviour of former prime minister Tony Abbott and his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. Based on her unrivalled access to their colleagues, and devastating first-person accounts of what went on behind the scenes, Savva painted an unforgettable picture of a unique duo who wielded power ruthlessly but not well. That edition became a major bestseller, and went on to win an Australian book industry award for the best general non-fiction book of the year. Now Savva continues where she left off. This updated edition contains a new, 13,500-word final chapter, in which Savva reveals the inner state of the Turnbull government — and the behind-the-scenes jockeying of friends and foes alike. From Christopher Pyne's career-stalling own goal, to Peter Dutton's post-Turnbull leadership ambitions, to Tony Abbott's ramped-up destabilisation campaign, it is, as usual, an unputdownable and impeccably sourced account. PRAISE FOR NIKI SAVVA ‘This is what you have to remember about Savva's controversial book, The Road to Ruin: she was onto this story early and she ran with it in her weekly column ... her account of the coup is both suspenseful and full of fascinating, granular detail.'The Sydney Morning Herald ‘[W]ell researched and well written, with a sharp eye — albeit with an occasional, serrated edge. Savva has written a book in which it is easy to be immersed. The narrative unfolds in a convincing flow, sourced directly from the words of many of the players: the bruised and battered; the disillusioned and disaffected; and ultimately in the triumphant voices of the Coalition plotters ... [A] compelling book that has established an indelible and influential benchmark for explaining the turbulent rise and tumultuous fall of the Abbott government.'The Weekend Australian "Kevin Rudd was given no warning, but even he lasted longer than Abbott. Julia Gillard had plenty of warnings, but even she lasted longer than Abbott. Abbott ignored all the warnings, from beginning to end - the public ones, the private ones, from his friends, his colleagues, the media. His colleagues were not being disloyal. They did not feel they had betrayed him; they believed he had betrayed them. Their motives were honourable. They didn't want him to fail; they wanted the government to succeed, and they wanted the Coalition re-elected. Abbott and Credlin had played it harder and rougher than anybody else to get where they wanted to be. But they proved incapable of managing their own office, much less the government. Then, when it was over, when it was crystal-clear to everyone that they had failed, when everyone else could see why they had failed, she played the gender card while he played the victim." In The Road to Ruin, prominent political commentator, author, and columnist for The Australian Niki Savva reveals the ruinous behaviour of former prime minister Tony Abbott and his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. Based on her unrivalled access to their colleagues, and devastating first-person accounts of what went on behind the scenes, Savva paints an unforgettable picture of a unique duo who wielded power ruthlessly but not well. Praise -- About the Author -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Prologue -- 1 Sowing the Seeds -- 2 The Peta Principal -- 3 Pressing Problems -- 4 Off to a Bad Start -- 5 Knightmare -- 6 Speaking of Disasters -- 7 Same Sex, Same Problem -- 8 ABBA (Anyone But Bloody Abbott) -- 9 G8 Plus One -- 10 Execution -- 11 Death before Dishonour -- 12 Tick Tock -- Acknowledgements