海角大神

's conservative leader聽聽swept into office in national elections on Saturday as voters punished the outgoing聽聽for six years of turbulent rule and for failing to maximize the benefits of a now fading mining boom.

Abbott, a former boxer, Rhodes scholar and trainee priest, promised to restore political stability, cut taxes and crack down on asylum seekers arriving by boat.

"From today I declare that聽聽is under new management and聽聽is once more open for business," Abbott told jubilant supporters in聽.

It was frustration with聽's leadership turmoil that cost the government dearly at the polls.

聽dumped Prime Minister聽聽in 2010, for聽's first female prime minister聽, only to reinstate Rudd as leader in June 2013 in a desperate bid to stay in power.

"It is the people of聽聽to determine the government and the prime minister of this country and you will punish anyone who takes you for granted," said Abbott.

Rudd was given a rousing welcome from dejected聽聽supporters in his hometown of聽, conceding defeat and announcing he would step down as party leader.

"I know that聽聽hearts are heavy across the nation tonight. I gave it my all. But it was not enough to win," Rudd said, supported by his wife and family.

's overall vote was its worst since 2004, when then conservative prime minister聽聽won his fourth and final term, but was not as bad as the party had feared.听聽held on to all of its close seats in Rudd's home state of聽, and held onto several marginal seats in western聽.

Election officials said with about 80 percent of the vote counted,聽聽coalition had won around 52.6 percent of the national vote, and projected it would win at least 88 seats in the 150-seat parliament.

Abbott could end up with a majority of around 30 seats, ending the country's first minority government since World War Two.听聽had relied upon independent and Greens support for the past three years.

"This was an election that was lost by the government more than one that was won by the opposition," former聽聽prime minister聽聽told Sky News.

REFUGEES, CARBON TAX

The election was been pitched as a choice on who is best to lead the A$1.5 trillion ($1.4 trillion) economy as it adjusts to an end to a prolonged mining investment boom, fuelled by聽's demand for its abundant natural resources.

Abbott, 55, built up a strong opinion poll lead on the back of promises to rein in government spending, scrap an unpopular tax on carbon emissions, and stop the flow of refugee boats arriving in聽's northwest.

His campaign had support from media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his Australian newspapers, which have urged voters to reject聽.听's other major newspaper group Fairfax also called for a change of government, saying

Rudd had painted Abbott's planned spending cuts as dangerous European-style austerity and said his government was best placed to manage an economy that is slowing but remains the envy of much of the developed world.

A record 1,717 candidates contested the election, including colourful mining entrepreneur聽, and Wikileaks founder聽, who is holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.

Palmer's start-up Palmer聽聽was a big winner from the election. Palmer was in strong contention to win his聽聽seat and his party might also win a seat in the upper house聽.

With Abbott's convincing victory, much of the interest remains on the聽, where the Greens, independents and fringe parties might still hold the balance of power and frustrate Abbott's legislative agenda.

Final results in the聽聽could take more than a week to determine, due to the complicated system of preferential voting and proportional representation.