TONY ABBOTT

Party

Tony Abbott became prime minister promising Australians relief from the political instability of the Rudd-Gillard years. This proved difficult to deliver. All but three of Abbott's shadow ministry made the transition to the Cabinet, and close ally Bronwyn Bishop took up the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.

What quickly became apparent was that the high degree of control exercised by Abbott as opposition leader was not going to be adapted to the much greater demands of government. Ministers became uncomfortable with the constraints on them and backbenchers looked for more consultation on policy, not the least in relation to Abbott's more controversial and expensive initiatives.

A turning point was the decision by the prime minister in December 2014 to send Trade Minister Andrew Robb to 'chaperone' Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at an international climate change summit in Peru. Less than a year later, Julie Bishop would play her role in the fourth change of Liberal leadership since 2007.

Partnerships

Some of Abbott's most important partnerships in office were with women. While there were few women in the Abbott ministries, women held key positions in the prime minister's own office. The partnership which attracted most attention was his enduring relationship with his Chief of Staff, Peta Credlin, whom he described as 'the fiercest political warrior.'

Credlin had worked very closely with Abbott during the years of opposition and was credited by him for much of the turnaround in his political fortunes from 2007. In government, Credlin took on  a broad array of tasks, and their alliance withstood sustained pressure, including from within the government, until Abbott lost the leadership. 

When responding to criticism about the reach of Credlin’s authority, Abbott expressed: ‘I think it is curious… that when a female chief of staff is strong the term “controlling” is used, whereas when a male chief of staff is strong “decisive” is the term used. I think she is doing a terrific job and I’m very proud of my office’. 

People

Throughout his life, Tony Abbott has taken an interest in community service, and he continued to dedicate as much time as possible to such pursuits while prime minister. Around New South Wales, he  worked as a volunteer firefighter during the critical bushfire seasons and, in March 2015, received an award for ten years of service to the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Local member Jonathan O'Dea MP congratulated all recipients of the awards, but took a moment to acknowledge the prime minister in particular saying that 'he sets an example, as do all of you [volunteer firefighters], for the rest of Australia.' 

In a 2014 interview with journalist Michelle Grattan, Abbott referred to ‘the people up at the fire brigade [as] inevitably a bit of an informal network’, who, alongside his wife Margie and two daughters, have provided stability and guidance throughout his life.  

Publications

Norman Abjorensen, The Manner of Their Going: Prime Ministerial Exits from Lyne to Abbott, Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2015

Waleed Aly, 'Pulling his punches', The Monthly, July 2013

Tony Abbott, Battlelines, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 2009

Phillip Coorey, 'Julie Bishop goes bananas over Andrew Robb climate chaperone', Australian Financial Review, 4 December 2014

David Marr, Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott, Quarterly Essay, Issue 47, 2012

Niki Savva, The Road to Ruin, Scribe, Brunswick VIC, 2016

Lisa Visentin, 'Tony Abbott receives award for 10 years of actual fire-fighting', Sydney Morning Herald, 8 March 2015