Mr Rudd took the oath at Government House in front of Governor-General Quentin Bryce. 

 

He then addressed parliament briefly³, paying tribute to Ms Gillard, who is stepping down from politics. 

 

The leadership change comes ahead of an election scheduled for 14 September, which polls suggest Labor will lose.

 

Opposition⁴ leader Tony Abbott called on Mr Rudd to clarify whether the election would be brought forward. 

 

"I congratulate the prime minister on his restoration to high office," he said. "May he elevate that office... by telling the Australian people when will they get the chance to decide who the prime minister of this country should be and who should form the government of this country?"

 

Mr Rudd said he would "identify a date for an election", suggesting that he would not stick with the date set by Ms Gillard.

 

"There's going to be an election, it will be held consistent with the constitution and... there's not going to be a huge variation one way or the other," he said.

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