Kevin Rudd says there are a lot of challenges for his government ahead of an election

“It's a long, long, long way to go,” the Prime Minister said in Port Moresby, during a visit to Papua New Guinea.

Mr Rudd was responding to a jump in support for Labor in the latest Fairfax Nielsen poll that puts the ALP and the Coalition dead even, each with 50 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

Tony Abbott today attributed Labor's bounce to Mr Rudd's ousting last month of Julia Gillard.

Speculation is now growing about when Mr Rudd will call an election, after he scrapped Ms Gillard's September 14 poll date.

“The truth is we face a marathon and we've barely run round the park so far,” Mr Rudd said.

Asked if it was a good time to call an election, he responded: “There are a lot of challenges for the government ahead.

“We're working on those one by one.”

Mr Abbott said he “always thought that the polls would tighten”.

“What they're really doing is showing their relief at the departure of an unpopular prime minister,” he told the Nine Network.

Mr Abbott said voters were reacting to the change in leadership.

“We're a fair minded people, we're prepared to give someone a fair go but I think what we'll discover is he's the same old Kevin Rudd and conclude that he had his chance before and he blew it.”

The Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax newspapers shows the ALP's primary support up 10 percentage points to 39 per cent, compared to the Coalition on 44, down three.

In results that mirror last week's Newspoll in The Australian, Nielsen's two-party preferred numbers put Labor at 50 per cent (up seven points) with the opposition also on 50, having lost seven points.

It is the first time in three years that Labor no longer trails the coalition in the two-party preferred vote.

Mr Abbott said nothing worthwhile comes easily.

“I've always known that I'm in the fight of my life.”

The poll put Mr Rudd ahead of Mr Abbott 55 points to 41 as preferred prime minister, but deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop believes the Labor leader's shine will fade.

“The last time Kevin Rudd was in the job his approval rating started very high and then plummeted when people realised the full extent of his incompetence and the chaos that he caused,” Ms Bishop told ABC radio.

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