Kevin Rudd says it's "entirely possible" he leaked an account of a meeting with Julia Gillard which damaged her prime ministership from its start.





On the third and final episode of the ABC documentary The Killing Season, Ms Gillard tells the program she hoped Mr Rudd would be "relieved" about having the burdens of office off his shoulders after the June 2010 coup.

But Mr Rudd shot back: "Not at all, but I imagine that's the sort of thing an assassin does say."

Mr Rudd says it's "entirely possible" he told journalist Laurie Oakes, among other reporters, about the June 2010 meeting in which he offered to stand aside for his deputy if Labor's stocks did not improve.

"It was clearly a leak from Kevin to Laurie designed to destroy this event," Ms Gillard says of the live televised National Press Club event at which she was asked the question.

Kevin Rudd's infamous meltdown

Ten days into the 2010 election campaign it was leaked that Ms Gillard had opposed paid parental leave in cabinet and expressed reservations about a pension rise.

"I thought this was, you know, the election losing moment," she said.

Mr Rudd tells the program he was not the leaker this time.

"Absolutely not," he says.

Former ministers Jenny Macklin and Wayne Swan say they believed Mr Rudd was behind the leaks.

View photos

Julia Gillard admits she gave Kevin Rudd "false hope" about allowing him more time as leader at their fateful meeting in 2010. Photo: AAP

Ms Gillard said it was made clear to her that the only way to stop the leaks was to offer Mr Rudd the post-election job of foreign minister, which she did.

The leaks stopped and Mr Rudd was given the role when Labor formed minority government.

Gillard admits to misleading Rudd before leadership challenge

Ms Gillard said that during the term Mr Rudd "consistently danced right out on that line of bad behaviour" and she could do nothing because of the tight numbers in parliament.

The turning point came when former Gillard backer, West Australian senator Mark Bishop, reached out to Mr Rudd as the party's public standing fell.

"She didn't have within herself the persona or the authority that is necessary to do that job," Senator Bishop says.

"He (Mr Rudd) came back to me straight away and we set up a time and we had a talk in my office."

View photos

Story continues