Tony Abbott AC

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Biography

Anthony John Abbott AC is an Australian former politician. He served as the 28th Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015 and leader of the Liberal Party from 2009 to 2015.^[1]

Childhood

Born on 4th November 1957 in Lambeth, London, England, Abbott was the eldest of four children to Richard Abbott, a dental surgeon, and Australian-born Fay (Peters) Abbott.^[2]

In 1960 Abbott emigrated with his parents and a younger sister to Australia on the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme, colloquially known in Australia as Ten Pound Poms due to the payment of £10 in processing fees to emigrate to Australia.^[3]

Education

Abbott obtained a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney.^[4] In 1981 Abbott won a Rhodes Scholarship and attended Queen's College at Oxford University, where he obtained a Master of Arts. He also earned two 'Blues' for boxing at Oxford.^[5]

Professional Career

Abbott intended to join the Catholic priesthood and entered St Patrick's seminary in Manly, New South Wales, in 1984.^[5] He also worked as a journalist, a manager and a political advisor to Dr John Hewson.^[1]

Political Career

Abbott was a Member of Parliament for the division of Warringah from 1994 to 2019. In John Howard's Government he was Minister for various portfolios associated with employment and workplace relations, health and ageing and the public service.^[5]

Following John Howard's defeat at the 2007 Federal election, Abbott served in the shadow cabinets of Brendan Nelson and then Malcolm Turnbull, until he resigned from the front bench in November 2009, as a protest against Turnbull's support for the Rudd Government's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme.^[6] In a forced leadership ballot days later, Abbott defeated Turnbull to become the Party's leader. He became Prime Minister in September 2013, after leading the Party to a landslide victory in the 2013 election.^[4]

Key achievements of the Abbott Government included the introduction of border control measures known as Operation Sovereign Borders, to prevent asylum seekers coming by boat to Australia.^[7] It also abolished the Minerals Resource Rent Tax and the carbon pricing scheme.^[8][9] He also campaigned for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution and promised a plebiscite on the issue of same-sex marriage.^[10]

Controversial and divisive, Abbott has been criticised for his views regarding immigration, women's rights, LGBT rights, Australia's First Nations people and climate change. Following a period of instability and unpopularity, Abbott was defeated by Malcolm Turnbull in a leadership challenge in September 2015.^[10] He remained on the back bench until the 2019 Federal election, when he lost the seat of Warringah to former Winter Olympic bronze medallist, Zali Steggall, who ran as an independent on a climate action platform.^[11]

After Politics

On 4th September 2020, Abbott was appointed as an adviser to the UK's Board of Trade.^[12]

Personal Life

On 1st February 1958 Abbott married New Zealand-born Margaret Aitken. The couple have three adult daughters.^[4]

Abbott is an active volunteer member of the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.^[5] He participates in the Pollie Pedal, an annual 1,000 km charity bike ride.^[10]

Honours

In 2001 Abbott was a recipient of the Centenary Medal, for his service as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.^[13]

He was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in 2020, for eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia.^[14]

In recognition of Abbott's voluntary fire fighting service he received an award from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in 2015, for 10 years' service,^[15] and a National Medal for 15 years' service in 2018.^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Hon Tony Abbott MP. (Australian Parliament House, https://www.aph.gov.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
2. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV7V-ZCBM : 1 October 2014), Anthony J Abbott, 1957; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Lambeth, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
3. ↑ National Archives of Australia: CA 51, Department of Immigration, Central Office; A1877, British migrants - Selection documents for free or assisted passage (Commonwealth nominees). ABBOTT Richard Henry born 1924; Fay born 1933; Anthony John born 1957; Jane Elizabeth born 1959; travelled per ORONSAY departing Tilbury on 7 September 1960 under the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme. National Archives Australia: 7328488
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Fast Facts. (National Archives of Australia, https://www.naa.gov.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} About Tony Abbott. (National Archives of Australia, https://www.naa.gov.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
6. ↑ Abbott quits as new leadership revolt escalates. Published online 26 Nov 2009. (The Age, http://www.theage.com.au/ : archived at Wayback Machine 7 Dec 2013 : retrieved 11 Mar 2022)
7. ↑ Promise check: We will stop the boats. Published online 8 May 2016. (ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
8. ↑ Promise check: Abolishing the mining tax. Published online 8 May 2016. (ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
9. ↑ Promise check: Abolish the carbon tax. Published online 8 May 2016. (ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Wikipedia contributors, "Tony Abbott," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tony_Abbott&oldid=1076434213 (accessed March 11, 2022).
11. ↑ Davies, Anne. Australian election: Tony Abbott loses his Warringah seat to Zali Steggall. Published online 18 May 2019. (The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/: accessed 11 Mar 2022)
12. ↑ [https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/board-of-trade#advisers-to-the-board-september-2020 Advisors to the Board (December 2021). (UK Government, Board of Trade, https://www.gov.uk/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)
13. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022) Centenary Medal awarded to The Honorable Anthony John Abbott, 1 Jan 2001, for service as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022) Companion of the Order of Australia awarded to The Honorable Tony Abbott, 7 Jun 2020, for eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as Prime Minister, and through significant contributions to trade, border control, and to the Indigenous community.
15. ↑ Visentin, Lisa. Tony Abbott receives award for 10 years of actual fire-fighting. Published online 8 Mar 2015. (Sydney Morning Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/ : accessed 11 Mar 2022)

See Also:

• Wikidata: Item Q348577