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| Australian PM Kevin Rudd calls election for 7 September | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called an election for 7 September, six weeks after defeating former PM Julia Gillard in a Labor party vote. | |
| The date was announced after he visited the governor-general, a formality preceding an election announcement. | |
| The head of the centre-left party faces stiff competition from conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who is favourite to win. | |
| The economy, asylum seekers and climate change are among the key issues. | |
| "It's on. A few moments ago I saw the governor-general and asked that she dissolve this parliament and call the federal election for 7 September," Mr Rudd said in an email to Labor supporters. | |
| Mr Rudd returned to lead Australia's government three years after he was toppled in a similar Labor leadership contest by Ms Gillard. | |
| Since taking office on 26 June, Mr Rudd has changed several key policy positions and opinion polls suggest his party is narrowing the conservative opposition's lead. | |
| Conservative leader Tony Abbott has vowed to give priority to scrapping mining and carbon taxes if his opposition Liberal Party wins the election. | |
| He says both taxes - introduced by the Labor government in 2012 - are among the highest tax rates on carbon dioxide in the world and has made the industry uncompetitive. |