JOHN HOWARD led his Government to a humiliating defeat last night and was poised to lose his own seat as Kevin Rudd became Australia's 26th Prime Minister.
Families and Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough was another high-profile scalp on a night in which Australia called a definitive end to Mr Howard's 11-year reign.
The national two-party preferred swing to Labor of 6.3per cent was the second-largest since World War II, bettered only by Gough Whitlam in 1972. Labor looked certain to secure 86 of the 150 House of Representative seats and hoped for 90 - a gain of at least 30 seats.
At 10.35pm Mr Howard conceded defeat and acknowledged it was very likely he would lose the seat he had held for 33 years to celebrity Labor recruit Maxine McKew.
Flanked by his teary-eyed wife, Janette, and two sons, Richard and Tim - his daughter Melanie was absent on bridesmaid duties - Mr Howard accepted blame for the defeat and anointed Peter Costello as his successor.
"It has been an enormous pleasure every day of my life, over the last 11½ years, to be Prime Minister of this beautiful country," he said in a strong, dry-eyed concession speech.
Accepting victory just after 11pm, Mr Rudd told a cheering crowd of Labor faithful in Brisbane he would be Prime Minister "for all Australia".
"Today Australia has looked to the future. Today the people of Australia have decided that we move forward," the Labor Prime Minister-elect proclaimed.
Ms McKew described the Rudd landslide as a "fabulous, transforming day for the country".
With her partner Bob Hogg and mother Mary close by, Ms McKew told a huge cheering crowd in North Ryde that Bennelong "will never, ever be taken for granted again".
The star candidate forced Mr Howard to campaign every weekend in Bennelong, destabilising his national campaign and diverting his attention from a string of marginal seats.
The Greens were pivotal in the Labor win, recording primary votes of up to 20 per cent in many electorates, which went to Labor candidates.
Greens leader Bob Brown said Greens voters had played an "enormous part" in the Labor win, and predicted the Greens would hold the balance of power in the senate.
Australia's first female Deputy Prime Minister-elect, Julia Gillard, cited the Government's industrial relations laws as a reason for the savage voter backlash. "WorkChoices really did crack a substantial proportion of the so-called Howard battlers," she said.
Kevin Rudd, current Australian Labor Party leader, was sworn in today as Prime Minister of Australia by Governor-General Michael Jeffrey. Rudd has become the 26th Prime Minister since Australia's federation in 1901.

Former Prime Minister John Howard and the Liberal Party and Coalition were beaten in the 2007 election which took place last month, by the Australian Labor Party who managed to gain the extra 16 seats they needed to have a majority in the House of Representatives. Mr Howard lost his seat that he held for 33 years, 11 as Prime Minister, to Labor candidate Maxine McKew.

Mr Rudd was sworn in at a small ceremony at Government House by Mr Jeffrey, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who was also sworn in today. Mr Rudd's wife, Therese Rein and his three children were also present at the ceremony.

Later that afternoon, Mr Rudd plans to hold a full meeting which all of his newly-sworn-in ministers will attend. In late November, Mr Rudd requested that all his ministers attend a visit at two schools in their local electorate before meeting for a caucus meeting on November 30.