Ten years after Kevin Rudd forced John Howard out of office and out of his seat of Bennelong, that seat is again under threat by a female Labor candidate.
QUOTES OF THE DAY
"The task ahead will not be an easy one, I understand that, I grasp that but this government that I will lead will work with energy and determination and with vigour." - Kevin Rudd's victory speech.
"We bequeath to him a nation that is stronger and prouder." - John Howard, conceding to Rudd.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Rudd was congratulated by international leaders including the UK's Gordon Brown and US President George W Bush.
His cabinet included Julia Gillard as deputy leader, the first Australian female deputy prime minister.
The win by federal Labor meant the ALP led every government in the nation - six states and two territories - for the first time in the party's history. That only lasted until September 2008, when the West Australian Liberals formed a coalition with the Nationals to oust Labor.
ROTATING PRIME MINISTERS
In the 10 years since that election, Australia has changed prime ministers four times - and Rudd has been sworn into the top job twice.
First Gillard made a leadership challenge, on June 24, 2010.
Gillard managed to form government with the support of crossbench MPs following a hung parliament, after she led the ALP to a disastrous election turn-around in August 2010.
Her reign in the top job lasted until June 2013, when Rudd took over once more following a leadership spill.
Rudd was then roundly defeated by the Tony Abbott-led coalition in September 2013.
Abbott managed to stay in power for just under two years, before being ousted by Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull remains prime minister to this day, despite being returned at the July 2016 election with a slim one-seat majority.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Howard released his autobiography in 2010 and has also published a book about former prime minister Robert Menzies. He recently endorsed the "no" vote in the same-sex marriage debate.
Rudd this year released the first volume of his autobiography but failed in his efforts to be nominated for the position of UN secretary-general, to replace previous head Ban Ki-Moon. He recently began studying for a doctorate at Oxford University.
