Australian PM announces federal election set for September 7

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced at a press conference here on Sunday that the federal election will be held on Sept. 7. Kevin Rudd met Governor-General Quentin Bryce earlier this afternoon and asked her for permission to call on the election on the aforesaid date. "This afternoon, I visited the governor-general and her excellency has accepted my advice an election be held on Saturday, September 7. The time has come for the Australian people to decide on our nation's future. They are the ones who we in this parliament are elected to serve," he said at the press conference. He has set the country on course for a five-week campaign, culminating in a polling day a week earlier than had been set by predecessor Julia Gillard. According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Labor staffers have been told to make their way to Melbourne where the party's campaign headquarters will be based. Analysis by local media said earlier that Kevin Rudd could have called the election for as late as November 30, but has clearly chosen to capitalize on the bounce in the polls following his return to the leadership. Since Kevin Rudd returned to the prime ministership in June, Labor's primary vote increased by several points, taking it into the high-30s and the two party preferred vote narrowed to an even 50-50 in some polls.