Speaking for Myself Again Four Years of Labour and Beyond

(Paperback)

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In 1997, the leader of the Australian Democrats, Cheryl Kernot, resigned from parliament to contest a marginal seat for the Labour Party. After three years serving as the Member for Dickson and in the shadow cabinet, she was defeated at the 2001 elections. This is her account of what happened. In this personal account, Cheryl Kernot chronicles the early euphoria, the slow unravelling, the broken promises, the dawning disillusionment, her attempts to rescue herself, the campaigns against her, the effects on her family and health, and the ultimate loss of her seat in the election of November 2001. This is also the story of her liberation and how she decided to fight back. Cheryl Kernot argues that her struggle to be heard and to be taken seriously for her intellectual contribution mirrors the struggles of many women. She gives her perspective on why the Labour experiment didn't work. She challenges the shallow media interpretations of how "good" and "successful" politicians should behave and how politics should be conducted. But rather than being just another politician's story, this is the story of a woman, who was also a politician. As one leading Australian politician once told her: "Don't be scripted by mugs, love!" She's ready to admit that she was and the rest is history. In her own words: "I want my knowledge of recent history to rank alongside the mythologies for women to understand. They are wondering what happened."

Author Bio

Cheryl Kernot (BA DipEd) entered politics in 1979. She became Senator (Australian Democrats) for Queensland in 1990 and was leader of the Australian Democrats from 1993 until 1997 when she resigned from parliament to contest a marginal seat for the Labor Party. She was elected as the Member for Dickson (1998). She served as Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Infrastructure Transport and Regional Services and Shadow Minister for Employment. Ms Kernot was defeated at the November 2001 elections. She lives in Queensland.