The former prime minister rejected Julia Gillard's offer to stay in the official residence for as long as he wished and last night staged a ceremonial departure before flying home to Brisbane.

''It's time to go home to our home at Norman Park,'' he said, flanked by his wife, Therese, and daughter, Jessica.

It is understood Mr Rudd and Jessica will leave soon for Beijing, where Jessica and her husband, Albert Tse, live. The rest of the family will follow.

Mr Rudd bequeathed his vegetable patch to the Lodge but the chooks have been billeted with friends.

Deposed as prime minister last Thursday, Mr Rudd also had his appeal for a ministerial post rejected by his new boss.

Instead, Ms Gillard promised him a cabinet job, most likely foreign affairs, if Labor wins the election.

Yesterday Ms Gillard confirmed she had told Mr Rudd to stay away until after the election for his own good and for the stability of her government.

''I thought the appropriate thing was for him to have an opportunity for a bit of rest and recuperation,'' she said. ''For the time between now and the election, I put a premium on stability.''

Mr Rudd's rapid demise has also led some backbenchers to throw out printed material featuring his image.

''Yeah, I've had to pulp a bunch of stuff,'' one MP said, referring to promotional material bearing Mr Rudd's image.

However, many backbenchers, especially those in marginal seats, never included Mr Rudd in their material because he had become so unpopular.

''We'd moved very local quite some time ago,'' an MP said. However, with Ms Gillard in the chair, the MP said she would feature in material for the election. ''She'll definitely be part of the campaign.''