Maybe the Aussies Ain't So Bad After All!

[KiwiHopeful]

Rudd to be Australia's next PM | NEWS.com.au

KEVIN Rudd?s Labor has swept aside 11 years of Coalition rule, destroying John Howard?s hopes for a record fifth term and consigning him to a humiliating exit from public life.

Voters turned to Mr Rudd?s pitch of fresh leadership and new ideas over Mr Howard?s record of economic management and unprecedented years of growth under his government.

At 9.05pm AEDT, it looked certain that Labor would win more than the 16 seats it needed to reach office.

The historic victory puts Mr Rudd into the company of Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke as Labor's only modern leaders to take Government from Opposition.

Polls had consistently put Labor ahead since Mr Rudd took the leadership from Kim Beazley last December. But Mr Howard remained defiant to the end, insisting today he could still retain government.

As I'm watching events unfold right at the moment, it looks like McKew has beaten Howard in Bennelong. The best part of all of this? Former Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett as Environment Minister! Power and the Passion, indeed!

In the US, I saw a great headline: First the Poodle, Now the Sheepdog!