A year in power
This week marks one year since the Abbott Government swept into office courtesy of an electorate fed up with Labor's disunity and infighting.
It has been a tumultuous year internationally while at home it has been marked by the delivery of several central election promises and the Government's efforts to sell a tough and controversial budget.
Look back on the key moments of Tony Abbott's first 12 months in power.
Operation Sovereign Borders begins
September 18, 2013
Tony Abbott's pledge to "stop the boats" was central to his election campaign, and immediately after the election he and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison sprang into action, appointing then Deputy Chief of Army Angus Campbell to head up its Operation Sovereign Borders.
The policy has involved secrecy about what is happening on the high seas, a continuation of offshore detention, and reviving the practice of turning refugee boats back.
As promised, the number of boats has fallen: of the 11 full months under Operation Sovereign Borders, the Government says seven have passed without a successful people-smuggling venture to Australia.
This success has come at a price: riots broke out at an offshore detention centre on PNG's Manus Island, resulting in the death of an asylum seeker, and the government was forced to bring a group of asylum seekers to Australia after a High Court ruling. Reports also continue to emerge of mental illness and brutality in detention centres, and ongoing calls from those within the system to end the practice.
PM, frontbenchers repay travel claims
September 29, 2013
The Prime Minister had barely settled into the role when it emerged that key frontbenchers George Brandis and Barnaby Joyce had incorrectly claimed travel allowances to attend the wedding of radio presenter Michael Smith in 2011.
Along two other MPs Mr Abbott himself paid back $1,600 he claimed to attend the weddings of former colleagues Sophie Mirabella and Peter Slipper.
While the rules around what politicians can claim back from the taxpayer are ambiguous, it was an embarrassing start for a government that had prosecuted the case against Peter Slipper while in Opposition.
Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus also repaid $400 for a ski trip.
Leak reveals bid to spy on Indonesian president
November 18, 2013
Within months of taking power and already testing the boundaries of Australia's relationship with Indonesia through its policy of turning back asylum seeker boats, the Abbott Government found itself dealing with a diplomatic rift with its largest neighbour.
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that Australian intelligence tried to listen in to Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's mobile phone in 2009, and targeted senior figures in his inner circle and even the president's wife.
While the surveillance happened under the Rudd government, Mr Abbott was criticised for refusing to apologise to the Indonesian president.
After Indonesia recalled its ambassador, Mr Abbott said he "regretted" the rift - but said he did not think Australia had anything to apologise for, prompting Mr Yudhoyono to lash out at Mr Abbott in a series of angry tweets, accusing him of taking the spying scandal too lightly.
Indonesia suspended cooperation on military matters and people smuggling, forcing Mr Abbott to write to the president and sign up to a code of conduct that returned relations to normal.
Holden announces end to Australian manufacturing
December 11, 2013
After months of speculation, Holden announced it would cease manufacturing cars in Australia by the end of 2017. Toyota followed suit shortly afterwards, signalling the end of the Australian car manufacturing industry.
In the lead-up to Holden's announcement, the Federal Government had refused to reinstate $500 million in government support for the industry that it had removed after taking power.
Critics claimed the Government's announcement that Holden would not receive any more assistance sparked the withdrawal, however the Government maintained Holden's parent company had made the decision as part of a global restructure and the company would have exited no matter what it did.
The end of the car manufacturing industry is expected to cost 50,000 jobs.
The car industry closures were part of a wider public debate about industry support: the Government rejected a bid for assistance from fruit processor SPC Ardmona and denied a debt guarantee for Qantas.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappears
March 8, 2014
When the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 turned to the southern Indian Ocean, Tony Abbott offered Australia's resources and expertise in coordinating the search.
He appointed former Defence chief Angus Houston to lead the multinational search effort, and committed $50 million in funding towards the recovery.
Despite this, the Prime Minister was criticised for pre-emptively announcing breakthroughs to the media, including telling reporters during a visit to China that searchers had narrowed down the search area to some kilometres - a statement which later proved to be inaccurate.
Arthur Sinodinos steps aside from frontbench
March 19, 2014
When Arthur Sinodinos stood aside, Tony Abbott didn't just lose his assistant treasurer less than two months before the Budget, but also a confidante and a well-liked minister who was seen as a link to the successes of the Howard era.
The former chief of staff to John Howard made the decision to stand aside after being named in the ICAC investigation into allegations of corruption involving Australian Water Holdings, a company Senator Sinodinos served on the board of before he entered politics.
While the Prime Minister has left the door open for Senator Sinodinos to return, for now ongoing ICAC investigations into the fundraising arm of the Liberal Party see him remain on the backbench.
Brandis reveals Racial Discrimination Act plans
March 24, 2014
Repealing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was an election promise borne out of the case of columnist and Abbott confidante Andrew Bolt, who was found guilty of breaching it in two articles he wrote about light-skinned Aboriginal people in 2009.
However from the outset, when Attorney-General George Brandis released a draft of the changes, the policy raised ire within the community.
Critics of the changes said they would leave Australians with no protection against racial vilification, and Senator Brandis's comments that "people have the right to be bigots" saw public opinion solidify against the policy.
In the face of strident opposition from ethnic communities and disquiet on the Government's backbench, the changes were shelved as part of the Government's overhaul of national security laws.
"It is, if you like, a leadership call that I have made after discussion with the Cabinet today. In the end, leadership is about preserving national unity on the essentials and that is why I have taken this decision," Mr Abbott said.
Abbott brings back Knights and Dames
March 25, 2014
Tony Abbott confounded his party and raised the ire of Republicans when he announced he was bringing back the titles of knights and dames for "pre-eminent Australians" - nearly three decades after the Hawke Labor government abolished the honours.
Described by Mr Abbott as a captain's call, the announcement came months after he appeared to specifically rule it out.
Mr Abbott's mentor, former prime minister John Howard, questioned the merits of the decision and said he would not accept a knighthood if offered.
Australia strikes free trade deal with Japan
April 7, 2014
After seven years of negotiations between the two nations, the Abbott Government struck a free trade agreement with Japan, a major breakthrough in light of Japan's notoriously high levels of protectionism.
The move was welcomed by the Australian beef industry and is likely to result in cheaper cars and electrical goods for the Australian public.
The Prime Minister followed this up by signing a free trade agreement with Korea, before heading to China to press the case for a similar agreement with the Asian giant.
Despite tensions between the two countries over the Abbott Government's stance on the disputed South China Sea region, China's premier Li Keqiang has said his country would aim to sign an FTA with Australia.
Joe Hockey delivers federal budget
May 13, 2014
After campaigning on a platform of ending waste and promising to rein in excess spending, the Coalition characterised its first budget as a necessary repair job that required all Australians to tighten their belts and become "a nation of lifters, not leaners".
Welfare and services such as education and health bore the brunt of the budget pain, with billions in funding slashed from the international aid, health and education budgets, alongside cuts to family benefits and a levy on high-income earners - all aimed at bringing the budget back to surplus over the next five years.
Despite attempts by Treasurer Joe Hockey to characterise the budget as hard on everyone, the electorate turned on the Government, which slumped in the polls.
Causing particular anger were plans for a $7 GP co-payment, an increase to the fuel levy, and cuts to unemployment benefits, which would see jobseekers lose any income support for six months at a time.
Modelling showing the disproportionate impact the budget had on low-income earners, and an unimpressed Senate led by Clive Palmer's Palmer United Party mean the issue remained in the headlines for months after the budget was delivered.
PM issues warning on rise of Islamic State
June 16, 2014
With its brutal tactics and regional ambitions the Islamic State (IS) militant group has gone from relative obscurity to among the most prominent threats to global security.
Armed with weaponry seized from the US-supplied Iraqi Army, the group now controls large areas of Syria and Iraq and has amassed billions in cash reserves.
The group has also proved a powerful lure to disaffected Muslim youths in the west: as of August at least 160 Australians have taken up arms in the conflict.
Tony Abbott has responded in a muscular fashion, labelling the group a "death cult", and saying extreme force is justified in the fight against IS.
So far Mr Abbott has ruled out committing ground troops, but Australian C-130 Hercules aircraft have dropped aid to those in IS-controlled areas, and weapons and ammunition to the Kurdish militia who are currently the most effective force against the militants.
Government secures repeal of carbon tax
July 17, 2014
When the new Senate came into effect on July 1, it appeared the Government's signature policy of repealing the carbon tax was in the bag.
However, the appearance of climate change campaigner Al Gore alongside Clive Palmer at a press conference kicked off one of the more surreal moments in Australian politics.
Mr Palmer, who has extensive interests in coal mining and had weeks earlier expressed scepticism at the existence of climate change, instead became the unlikely saviour of some of the structure designed to mitigate Australia's emissions growth, including the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Climate Change Authority.
In return for his critical support in the Senate, the Palmer United Party leader also introduced amendments to require power companies to pass on any savings they made from the repeal of the tax to consumers, or face a hefty fine.
Despite failing in their attempt to also remove the tax cuts that accompanied the introduction of the carbon tax, on July 17 the Government was able to announce it had delivered on one of its central election policies.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shot down
July 18, 2014
The deliberate attack on Malaysiamala Airlines flight MH17, most likely by Russian-backed separatists in the Ukraine, sent shockwaves around the world, and plunged Australia into the centre of a deadly conflict.
Among the 298 people on board were 38 Australian citizens and residents, and Mr Abbott was quick to call for justice for those who died.
Using its seat on the UN Security Council, Australia, through Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, has been a key driver in attempts to find out who was responsible and apply international pressure on Russia to aid in the investigation.
Mr Abbott has been unflinching in his criticism of Russia's involvement in supporting the rebels and has made it a top priority to bring the remains of those killed home.
He has dispatched former Defence chief Angus Houston to Kiev as his personal envoy, and deployed 20 AFP crime scene investigators to join the international investigation.
Ms Bishop has also made multiple visits to Kiev to attempt to help the investigators gain access to the crash site, which lies in a region that has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting in the conflict.
Data retention and terrorism laws unveiled
August 5, 2014
As the situation in the Middle East worsened, and more Australians took up arms with terrorist groups, the Government unveiled a suite of changes to national security laws designed to give intelligence agencies greater powers.
The new laws would make it an offence to travel to a designated area of "terrorist activity" without a valid reason, such as humanitarian, family or other innocuous purposes. There is debate about where the onus of proof would rest under the new laws, which have sparked anger in Australia's Muslim communities, who are likely to be the most affected.
Privacy advocates also criticised planned legislation likely to compel phone and internet companies to retain customers' metadata – resulting in an embarrassing interview where the Attorney-General George Brandis struggled to explain what the ‘metadata’ the Government was planning to collect actually was.
Parliament repeals Labor's mining tax
September 2, 2014
Days out from the first anniversary of its election victory, the Government achieved the final string in its trifecta of key election promises: axing the mining tax.
The legislation passed the Upper House with the backing of Palmer United Party senators, as well as Motoring Enthusiast Party senator Ricky Muir, Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm and Family First's Bob Day.
The victory, while coming at a cost of $6.5 billion to the budget bottom line through concessions to the minor parties, also showed the Government's ability to negotiate an unpredictable and divided Senate.
The decision to delay superannuation increases for Australian workers, passed alongside the repeal, raised the ire of the industry and sparked questions over its disproportionate impact on lower-income earners and women.
