The standard Labor answer whenever the change of leadership question props up is "there is no vacancy."

Yet speculations swirl relentlessly, especially this week amid Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plunging poll numbers, signalling for the Labor-led government a humbling defeat were Australian elections held today.

Thankfully for Gillard and the Australian Labor Party, whose poll numbers also indicated a likely rout, that event will not take place until late next year.

The prospect of losing control of the government prompted talks of Labor ditching Gillard in favour of her predecessor, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who the party hopes would at least give it a fighting chance against Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

Labor's argument was validated by latest poll numbers that showed Rudd, a former prime minister, having the edge over Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister who seems to be eternally out of luck in attracting voters' affection.

All the talks, however, of him raising a challenge on Gillard's leadership have been consistently downplayed by Rudd, who was quick to express his support for his former deputy, regardless that she was partly responsible for booting him out from The Lodge in 2010.

On his way to Germany on Thursday to perform his duty as the country's premier ambassador, Rudd hosed down rumours that pointed to him as the one likely to succeed Gillard, considering the restless stories of leadership shake-up to hit Labor anytime soon.

"I am delighted to be the foreign minister of this country and I am delighted to be out there working on Australia's behalf," Rudd was reported by the Australian Associated Press as saying when asked about the impending leadership change.

Experts noted that again, like his Labor colleagues, Rudd employs a standard reply that failed to dampen speculations of him gearing up for another try on the top post.

This despite an earlier declaration by senior Labor leaders that Rudd and his cohorts within the party will not be able to muster the numbers to mount even an attempt to secure the party leadership.

Again, party leaders insisted that there is no vacancy, with senior Labor minister Simon Crean suggesting that having Rudd again as party leader and prime minister was unimaginable.

The former prime minister was not a team player, to begin with, Crean said this week, adding that Labor will not commit the same mistake of resting on Rudd the party's hopes and aspirations.

Nonetheless, Abbott is convinced that Labor will opt for the expected and remove Gillard in favour of Rudd, who he predicted will make a move prior to the March 24 election in Queensland.

"My instinct is he'll make a move before the Queensland election because if Kevin is such a miracle worker in Queensland you'd think they'd want him there before the state election," the Liberal stalwart said.

Troubles within Labor further heat up with the series of reported private meetings among party leaders, including the one called by Gillard on Sunday, Abbott said.

That caucus will be missed by Rudd, experts noted.

At any rate, Abbott stressed that the Labor leadership crisis is uneventful for Australia, suggesting that nothing much will change even if Rudd succeeds on regaining the position he lost to Gillard.

"In the end it's up to the Labor Party to choose which failed leader it wants to take into the election," Abbott told the Nine Network.

Yet aside from Rudd, reports hinted of the likely entry of Defence Minister Stephen Smith into the fray but when asked about such possibility, the minister simply shrugged the issue and insisted that Labor is more concerned on running the government.

"I make the same point today as I have in the past: there's no vacancy, I'm a strong supporter of the prime minister," Smith stressed.