"It is important that we get to work on this straight away," Rudd said.
Meanwhile, the conservative coalition that lost the election fell to infighting over who should lead the opposition. Howard's nominated successor, Liberal party deputy leader Peter Costello, made the surprise announcement on Sunday that he did not want the job.
Former environment minister Malcolm Turnbull said he would stand for opposition leader, and former health minister Tony Abbott announced yesterday he would also contest the job.
Vote counting was still under way yesterday, with only the size of Rudd's emphatic win to be confirmed, and a handful of closely fought districts to be decided.
Among them was the Sydney suburban district of Bennelong, held by Howard for the past 33 years, leaving Australia's second-longest serving leader faced with the ignominy of losing not only government but also his seat in parliament.
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