Rudd running from election race: Abbott Opposition MP Scott Morrison says Labor's election date delays are causing business uncertainty. OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has accused Kevin Rudd of running away from an election as the prime minister returns from a surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan. Mr Rudd returns to Australia late on Sunday, effectively ruling out an August 31 federal election - the earliest possible date a poll could now be held. "Three years is up, Mr Rudd," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. Stop running away from the public, stop thinking about yourself, start to appreciate that it's time for a bit of democracy in this country. He said even an August 31 election would be "one week overdue" because voters last went to the polls on August 21, 2010. Senior Liberal Scott Morrison said Mr Rudd would be on "stolen time" if he delayed the election beyond the end of August. "He seems to be enjoying the speculation and the hysteria around this," he said. Two of the four elections Liberal prime minister John Howard chose the timing for were held more than three years from the previous election. It's widely expected Mr Rudd will choose a poll date on September 21 or later, which would let him head to the G20 leaders summit in St Petersburg on September 5-6. Mr Abbott said he wouldn't go overseas to the summit or anywhere else before the election. "The Australian elections are not about someone being prime minister of the world," he said. They're about someone being prime minister of Australia. "What we have seen over the last month is a fundamental change in the political dialogue in this country," he said. But Mr Abbott said the numbers didn't make him nervous. "I trust the judgment of the Australian people," he said.