"I believe leadership is about leading, with clear-cut direction," he said. If victorious Mr Rudd wants to become known as "the education prime minister". He set five key goals for a Labor government's first three months:

1. Ratify the Kyoto Protocol. "We need to make sure we are around the negotiating table immediately ... for the next round of commitments on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions." 2. Start immediately to negotiate with the states on reform of hospital practices. "That is of crucial importance - we've got $2.5billion on the table but we'll need to frame a co-operative agreement around performance measures." 3. Begin the roll-out of the high-speed broadband network, along with connections to schools. In tandem, open up tenders for the $1 billion school computer program.

4. "Hit the ground running" with the implementation of the $2.5 billion program to upgrade trades training centres in secondary schools. "I went back to C block [the technical faculty] at [his old school] Nambour High the other day - it hadn't changed since I was there. It was like walking into a museum." 5. Begin negotiations with the Americans and Iraqis for the staged withdrawal by mid next year of Australian combat troops. "I have been very blunt with President Bush ... I have a no-surprises policy when it comes to these things."

Mr Rudd said a Labor government would start work immediately. "Christmas and Boxing Day we can have off, then it's to work." The Labor leader said he wanted to be known as "an education prime minister", someone who didn't just talk about education but fundamentally transformed education as funded, delivered and measured from early childhood through to rocket science. "This is the pathway to every person's future opportunities."

Mr Rudd painted himself as a leader who would be looking over the shoulders of his ministers, ensuring the detail of policies was implemented. "I am a big listener, I am a big reader of reports, but having listened and read, then I decide what I believe to be the best way forward."

He said cabinet and expert departmental advice were "crucial" parts of the process - but he had never believed in the politics of the "lowest common denominator". "You've got to lead. When you're looking at these big problems that the nation faces at the moment, you either adopt the approach of throwing everything out there into bureaucratic black holes or you actually take hold off it by the scruff of the neck and make sure it happens. I'm very much of the latter school." Mr Rudd said his intention was to use The Lodge, in Canberra, as the official prime ministerial residence. Mr Howard broke with long-standing tradition to live in the Sydney harbour-front residence, Kirribilli House.

However, Mr Rudd said the family "hadn't even talked about it" yet. His wife, Therese Rein, is a successful international businesswoman based in Brisbane, and their youngest, 14-year-old Marcus, is at school there.

"Our family's head space is all focused on the election. What happens as a consequence after that for the family is a discussion which hasn't even been had," he said. Mr Rudd's final week of campaigning would be about reinforcing the core messages of education, water, climate change and hospitals - with a few new policy announcements but no big spending. kwalsh@sunherald.com.au