SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday vowed to take the government to the next election, despite reports a key Labour figure is canvassing support for a return of ex-leader Kevin Rudd.

The prime minister and then foreign minister Rudd faced off against each other in a party room vote in February, with the nation's first woman prime minister crushing her former boss 71 to 31 and Rudd going to the backbench.

But reports on Sunday said government whip Joel Fitzgibbon was making the case for a new Rudd challenge, prompting Gillard to respond that she was the best person to lead the party to the 2013 election.

“I'll be happily leading Labour to the next election,” she told reporters.

Gillard said she was satisfied with a comment Fitzgibbon made on Twitter Sunday which read: “I thank my colleagues for the publicity but no one does more to support the PM and the Government than me!” “I think his words speak for themselves,” Gillard said.—AFP