Mr Rudd has promised to actively engage Australia in global issues like financial stability, climate change and security.
Mr Rudd is visiting three continents on his tour, including North America, Europe and Asia, and will arrive in Washington on Friday.
He says Australia's attempts to deal with the issues of the economy, environment and security at a domestic level will fail if it does not join in the world debate on them.
They will form the basis of his talks with world leaders including United States President George Bush, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, head of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Mr Rudd says he wants to tell those nations that Australia's economy is fundamentally strong in the face of international turbulence.
He has also outlined his intention to work more closely with institutions like the United Nations.
Mr Rudd says dealing with Australia's interests at home means responding at the global level, calling it "creative middle power diplomacy".
"In an interconnected world, the economic agenda also has to be seen in the context of global politics and global strategic stability," he said.
"That is why security policy, climate change, development assistance, humanitarian intervention and broader human rights will also feature prominently during this visit."
Speaking in Sydney Mr Rudd said globalisation posed an acute challenge to Australia's policy-making.
"Australia today lives in an increasingly joined-up world," he said.
"If Australia fails to engage with the global economic, security and environmental challenges, we will simultaneously fail to deal with their impact on our own country.
"That means in order to advance Australia's interests at home, we must increasingly be engaged with other nations."
Source: By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
