[1] Rudd had previously served a term as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 and been replaced by his deputy Julia Gillard, following an internal party spill.

On 5 August, Rudd called an election for 7 September 2013, which resulted in the defeat of his government by the Liberal/National Coalition led by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

[3] Rudd went on to lead Labor to victory at the 2007 federal election, defeating the incumbent Coalition government led by John Howard.

[5] In office, Rudd ratified the Kyoto Protocol, offered a Parliamentary apology to indigenous children removed from their parents by the state up to the mid-20th century, and organised the Australia 2020 Summit.

[19] In an emotional address, Anthony Albanese announced that he had offered his resignation as Leader of the House of Representatives and would be supporting Rudd because he believed the manner in which he had been replaced in 2010 was wrong.

In March 2013, amid criticism of Gillard's handling of media law reform proposals – called "shambolic" by a key crossbencher[22] – Chief Whip Joel Fitzgibbon confirmed that Labor Party members were "looking at the polls and expressing concerns".

[33] Seven senior ministers resigned their positions, refusing to serve under Rudd, and Gillard announced her intention not to re-contest her seat at the forthcoming election.

"[41] Rudd pledged prior at the time to "terminate" the "Carbon Tax", stating it would save the average family approximately $380 annually.

In response, Abbott said that Rudd was politicising the issue, as the opposition had already pledged to put forward a draft constitutional amendment for public consultation within the first 12 months, if elected.

[45] In his second term as prime minister, Rudd renounced his opposition to offshore processing of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Following an extended period of increasing boat arrivals and deaths at sea, Gillard announced a resumption of offshore processing in August 2012.

The leader of the Australian Greens, Christine Milne, called the announcement "absurd" on the basis that the island of only 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) produced virtually no food, struggles to provide fresh water and could not absorb more people.

[47] Five weeks before his final challenge for the Labor leadership, Rudd reversed his previous opposition to extending the definition of marriage under Australian law to include same-sex relationships.

"[51] As prime minister during the 2013 Election Campaign, Rudd pledged to put a conscience vote on the issue to the Parliament within his first 100 days of office, if re-elected.

The Bible sees slavery as the result of fallen and broken relationships in society and it is crystal clear in its condemnation of the slave trade...".

[56] Bill Shorten switched his support from Gillard to Rudd in the 2013 leadership spill and was appointed as the new Education Minister, while retaining his Workplace Relations portfolio.

[62][63] On 15 August, Rudd announced a plan to give consideration to creating a special company tax regime and economic zone in the Northern Territory, if re-elected.

[65] On 28 August, Rudd announced a plan to give consideration to possibly relocating the Garden Island Naval Base from Sydney to Queensland.

Rudd spoke to a jubilant crowd for over 20 minutes, said "Bill Glasson eat your heart out" (in reference to his local opponent in the seat of Griffith) and declared "I'm proud that despite all the prophets of doom, that we have preserved our federal parliamentary Labor Party as a viable fighting force for the future".

[68][69] Abbott's Liberals and their coalition partner, the Nationals, led by Warren Truss, achieved a 3.65 percent two-party swing, winning 90 of the seats in the House of Representatives to Labor's 55.

[71] Outgoing ministers Craig Emerson and Nicola Roxon called on Rudd to resign from Parliament for the good of the Labor Party, predicting that his ongoing presence would be destabilising.