I think that the newly elected government will at
least serve its full term.

The Labor Party will appoint a leader in the interim.
In the meantime searching for a person with the right
credentials to become the next Labor Prime Minister.
For example, Bob Carr - who seemes to have performed well
as Australia's Foreign Minister and has the stature and
experience to be a PM.

Then again maybe Malcolm Turnbull will switch parties?
He'd give Mr Abbott a run for his money.

Seriously, though,

The Economist tells us that Mr Abbott's big test will be
to adapt his combative style to the serious business of
government. It's one thing to be in Opposition, quite
another to have to solve problems and rule the country.

Mr Abbott has already ditched an earlier boast that he would
return the budget to surplus in his first term. Abolishing
the carbon tax and other pledges may well face challenges in
the Senate.

Mr Abbott told the Australian Financial Review that there will
be a "qualitative difference in the way things happen in
Canberra."

What the difference is remains to be seen.

PJack,
You sad,sad sore loser or as Hasbeen so aptly stated you fool. It's no secret now that ALP & Labor supporters are now even more of a broken down lot than before but to write utter crap like you did is beyond the realm of idiocy. I'm sure most decent Labor supporters will not share such moron vies. Alp supporters perhaps but not Labor.

Who knows how long, but good riddance to Rudd. Worst PM in my lifetime.

Yes Rudd and Gillard were the two worst prime ministers Australia has ever had: conceited, incompetent, dysfunctional, smirking thugs.

The mentality of the rusted-on Labor voters is just appalling. Incapable of thinking but in mindless emotive slogans, full of blind worship of power, and hatred of people and freedom.

All this talk of Labor re-building itself. What's that supposed to mean? Without socialism, what has Labor got? And socialism doesn't work because in the final analysis, it's nothing but force-based thieving.

And how was Rudd? Fatuous, dishonest, smirking, self-centred, boring and graceless to the very end.

Fought the good fight? For what? The "cause"? The cause of what? Thieving, hypocrisy and parasitism?

What a parcel of nauseating rogues.

"Soon may they expire, unblest wi' resurrection!"
Burns

Chris,

"....Worst PM in my lifetime."

You ain't seen nothing yet!

(A cardboard cutout might be electable, but it's difficult to sustain a ruse - and Uncle Rupert can only slather so many front pages)

Poirot yes P Jack too yes.
But lets first know we lost.
And yes Abbott won.
Many, so very many do not yet know what that brings to us all, what policy,s and actions.
But we lost.
Our ride down the lift well without the lift, was a truth we must not ignore.
Do we wish to just take the voters who in time will leave Abbott.
Do we by our failure to understand and act on out loss help the growth in vote wasting smaller party,s.
Reform but remove too, the thought building on our own faults ,targeting others before our self, is folly.
Rudd will leave, and he should, Shorten will come, and he should, we will be proud of our leader.
And he will lead us to new hights, but lets too bury our dead only after righting our wrongs.