Fresh from his landslide election victory, Kevin Rudd, Australia's new prime minister, has vowed to start work immediately on ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and implementing his pre-election promises to develop a low-carbon economy.

Concerns over climate change and Australia's failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol were attributed as key factors in Rudd's victory, which saw former prime minister John Howard lose his seat as his Liberal Party suffered its worst election defeat in its 63-year history.

Rudd is expected to now join the international climate change agreement as quickly as possible and also begin work on delivering Labor's proposed package of environmental measures aimed at cutting emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. These include a $500m Renewable Energy Fund, a $240m Clean Business Australia Fund designed to enhance energy and water efficiency and a $150m Energy Innovation Fund that will aim to address Australia's position as the world's worst per capita polluter.

The Labor victory also leaves the US administration more isolated than ever as world leaders prepare for the UN's conference in Bali, which is designed to begin work on finding a successor to the Kyoto Agreement.

Under John Howard, Australia had been the one developed economy to side with the US and refuse to ratify Kyoto, but with Rudd planning to attend the Bali conference and support plans for a successor to Kyoto, US negotiators can expect to face more pressure than ever before to sign up to an international agreement.