CANBERRA—Labor is preparing for the fight of its life to win the November 24 election, with Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd pitching himself as the "new leadership" Australia needs for the future.
After a long phoney campaign, a subdued Mr Rudd launched the election proper with a warning that another three years of coalition government was not something the nation could afford.
Prime Minister John Howard put an end to the waiting game today when he visited Governor-General Michael Jeffery to set a November 24 poll date.
Setting the scene for the six-week campaign which will be a contest of youth versus experience, the relatively fresh-faced Mr Rudd, 50, is promising voters "new leadership".
In contrast, Mr Howard, 68, a 33-year political veteran, says he can deliver the "right leadership".
Speaking in his home town of Brisbane, Mr Rudd pledged to woo the electorate with fresh policies and ideas.
"If I'm elected to become the next Prime Minister of Australia I will ratify Kyoto, I will prohibit the construction of nuclear reactors in this country," he said.
"I will abolish Work Choices. I will end the blame game between Canberra and the states. I will invest in an education revolution and I will build a world class broadband network for this nation, city and country."
He painted the government as "stale" and "out of touch".
"The greatest risk for Australia's future is for the coalition to return and nothing changes," Mr Rudd said.
Mr Rudd wasted no time addressing Labor's biggest challenge from the 2004 election - economic management.
Proudly describing himself as a economic conservative, Mr Rudd made a commitment to pursue full employment, an independent Reserve Bank and budget surpluses.
"We are also putting forward carefully costed promises for this election campaign, all designed to put downward pressure on interest rates," he said.
While Labor has thrashed the coalition in the opinion polls since Mr Rudd took over the leadership last December, he is taking nothing for granted.
"I believe that this is going to be the fight of our lives," Mr Rudd said.
"We have 16 seats to win and we're up against a really clever politician.
"I believe this will go down to the wire."
And he warned the electorate to expect "the mother of all negative fear campaigns".
"Their overall charge is that if the people of Australia were to vote me as their next prime minister of Australia the skies would then fall in," Mr Rudd said.
"You know something, Mr Howard has used the negative fear campaign on every previous election and he's gotten away with it and he thinks he can do so again."
But Mr Rudd says he thinks voters know better by now.
He will try to convince them he is the man to lead the nation, relying on his record as a public servant, politician and small businessman.
"I put myself forward as someone who has worked extensively as a senior public servant, someone who has worked as a diplomat representing his country abroad, someone who has worked in small business and someone who has now been in parliament for nearly a decade," Mr Rudd said.
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