Tony Abbott
Anthony John Abbott (4 November 1957—) is a former Australian Liberal politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015.
Abbott is the eldest of four children, and was born in Lambeth, London, England. He emigrated with his family to Australia in 1960, settling in Sydney. Abbott was schooled in the Jesuit tradition, at St Aloysius' College and St Ignatius' College, Riverview.
He graduated from the University of Sydney twice; first a Bachelor of Economics in 1979, then a Bachelor of Laws in 1981, before attending Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. In June 1983 he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and in October 1989 was awarded a Master of Arts. Abbott trained as a Roman Catholic priest for three years before entering politics.
In 1994, Abbott was elected to the Australian Parliament; he held his seat in Warringah safely for the Liberals until his retirement from politics 25 years later. When Abbott was promoted to the Cabinet in 1998, Prime Minister Howard described him as an effective performer with an endearing style, whereas the Opposition described him as a "bomb thrower." After distinguishing himself as a cabinet minister, Abbott was promoted to Leader of the Liberal party in 2009. At the federal election on 7 September 2013, Abbott led the Liberal-National coalition to victory: as Prime Minister, he campaigned for recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Australian Constitution, and promised a referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage. He lost the Liberal party leadership in 2015, and remained in parliament as a backbencher until 2019.
Abbott is opposed to euthanasia, commenting in 2017 that the Victorian euthanasia bill marked "a sad milestone in our decline as a decent society."
(via Wikipedia)
Tony Abbott joins Paul Keating in opposing Victoria's euthanasia bill. (2017, October 21). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/21/tony-abbott-joins-paul-keating-in-opposing-victorias-euthanasia-bill