Julia thrashes Rudd 71-31

KEVIN Rudd's 18-month bid to regain the Labor leadership has been smashed after he lost a ballot against Julia Gillard by a record margin.

Addressing the media after the ballot, Mr Rudd presented himself as a healer of Labor's wounds as he committed himself to serving Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

And he confirmed expectations by declaring he would not quit Parliament as Julia Gillard pledged to focus on voters and not the "ugly'' bickerings of the Labor Party as she attempted to convince the electorate the days of distraction were over.

"I can assure you that this political drama is over and you are back at centre stage where you should properly be,'' the Prime Minister told reporters in comments aimed at the general electorate.

She said getting on with the work would win the 2013 election.

Rudd's goodbye

There were no tears as Mr Rudd accepted he was not prime minister, unlike on June 24, 2010, when he wept during his farewell from the office.

He said he accepted without qualification his 31-71 loss to Ms Gillard in this morning's caucus ballot.

"I congratulate Julia on her strong win today,'' Mr Rudd said.

"The caucus has spoken. I accept the caucus's verdict without qualification and without rancor.''

He thanked his supporters and made special mention of his enemies.

"For those who have been a little more willing in their public character analysis of me in recent times, could I say the following?'' he said.

"I bear no grudges, I bear no one any malice, and if I have done wrong to anyone in what I've said or in what I've done, to them I apologise.

"Time, in fact it's well past time, for these wounds to heal. Because what we in this Government and this party and this movement are wedded to is a higher purpose.

"Our purpose is to serve the nation, not ourselves.''

Mr Rudd left the press conference with his family and without taking questions from reporters.

He will now sit on the backbench with his promise not to instigate a challenge again, and Ms Gillard can expect to lead her party to the election scheduled late next year.

Gillard's new mission

Meanwhile Ms Gillard said it was time for the Government to get back to focusing on the Australian people.

The PM said she was impatient to use her renewed authority from today's ballot to deliver more policies for the Government.

"Impatience is what I feel, I'm restless to get on with it,'' she said.

In her most confident language for weeks Ms Gillard added: "I intend to be a forthright advocate for the Government's policies. So settle in.''

Ms Gillard also paid tribute to former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and claimed an overwhelming victory despite complaints by Labor MPs who "read the tea-leaves of opinion polls''.

She said Mr Rudd and his family were having ''a very tough day indeed''.

"I want to say to Kevin Rudd, in the days that lie beyond, as a nation, as a Labor Party we must honour him and his many achievements as Prime Minister,'' she said.

Ms Gillard said she had told "a truth that needed to be told'' about events surrounding Mr Rudd's removal as Prime Minister in June, 2010 but did not intend to repeat them, a reference to savage criticism of how her predecessor ran a "dysfunctional'' government.

She accepted Mr Rudd's assurances he would not challenge her from the back bench.

The two shook hands and spoke briefly and privately together soon after the ballot result was announced.

But the Prime Minister's most important chat was with an electorate which might still doubt her legitimacy as head of government.

"The last week has seen us, the men and women of the Labor Party, focussed inwards, focussed on ourselves,'' Ms Gillard said.

"At times it's been ugly. I understand that. But as a result, Australians have had a gut-full of seeing us focus on ourselves. I understand the frustration of Australians in seeing us do that.

"So today I want to say to Australians one and all: This issue, the leadership question, is now determined.

"You, of the Australian people rightly expect a government to focus on you, for you to be at the centre of everything government does

Abbott wants an election

The victory comes as Tony Abbott asked independent MPs whether they have confidence in Julia Gillard "given the bloodletting" of the leadership contest.

The Opposition said he was "formally'' asking the cross-bench MPs to declare their views, but stopped short of saying he would mount a no-confidence motion in his own name.

He said 72 members of the Coalition and 31 members of the Labor caucus had no confidence in Ms Gillard.

"The challenge is to get them, and to get some of the independents to vote that way in the Parliament," he said.

"I formally request the independents to state their position on whether they have confidence in this Prime Minister, given the bloodletting the Labor Party has engaged in over the last few days."

The vote

Earlier, there was relief on the faces of members and senators as they emerged from the vote, returning officer Chris Hayes, MP for Fowler said.

Ms Gillard strode from the meeting flanked by Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan, a key destroyer of Mr Rudd's campaign, and Trade Minister Craig Emerson.

Mr Rudd will now not only have to deal with the loss of his prized foreign affairs portfolio but also the brutal message coming from the overwhelming rebuff from his colleagues.

Prime Minister Gillard, who ousted Mr Rudd in June 2010, will have her own recovery program to complete.

She will have to unite a team which includes five senior ministers who believe she is not the best option to win the election scheduled for late next year.

Ms Gillard also will have to face a rampant Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who is certain to use the five days of infighting against the Prime Minister.

Ms Gillard's 40-vote margin victory tally was a record.

Since 1982, the biggest margin of defeat in a Labor leadership contest was 24 votes when Simon Crean defeated Kim Beazley in June 2003. The previous highest tally was the 58 won by Mr Crean in that contest.

After the count was announced, Mr Rudd and Mr Swan shook hands. It was a tense moment for the two Queenslanders, who both went to Nambour High School but have never been friends.

Mr Rudd congratulated Ms Gillard in a brief speech towards the end of the meeting and said he would not challenge her again.

Lindsay MP David Bradbury, who had jokingly offered to get a Julia Gillard tattoo to prove his support for her, today said the meeting ended with "a positive spirit'' but acknowledged it had been a traumatic experience.

Mr Rudd gave a "gracious speech'' after the ballot, said Government Whip Joel Fitzgibbon, who described the result as decisive.

"It was tense. These leadership battles can be quite traumatic for many,'' Mr Fitzgibbon told SkyNews.

"Old friendships and loyalties are tested. But it was co-operative and I think everyone left the room very pleased that it is now behind us and we can get on with the important matters for the Government."

He said Mr Rudd had acknowledged the decisive nature of the vote.

"He made it very, very clear in that speech that he'd be going to the back bench to do whatever he can in a positive way to help us to win the next election."

-news.com.au