Mungo covers the closest election in Australian history …

In early 2010, there were few signs that the coming election would be so hotly contested. Tony Abbott had just become the third Opposition leader in as many years, and a politically buoyant Kevin Rudd seemed a shoo-in for a second term.

Then came the dramatic eleventh-hour leadership change that installed Julia Gillard as prime minister – the first woman ever to lead the nation and Abbott’s old sparring partner.

The ensuing campaign saw both leaders racing from the malls to the mines in a desperate attempt to win over the swingers and woo an increasingly sceptical electorate. The result was a hung parliament, the first minority government since World War II, and a new phase in Australian democracy.

This is a pacy, perceptive account of the 2010 election year and its remarkable outcome by one of Australia’s most entertaining writers.