From heartfelt laments to faint praise, politicians of all stripes have paid tribute to the contribution of Australia’s 28th prime minister, Tony Abbott.
Abbott lay low following the leadership spill that ousted him as prime minister, while his ministers and strongest supporters took to the airwaves to bid him farewell.
The defence minister, Kevin Andrews, said Abbott is maintaining his stiff upper lip.
“Tony is a decent, honourable person. He always has been and he always will be,” Andrews told ABC TV. “He is stoic and reflective and he has seen this before.”
The small business minister, Bruce Billson, said colleagues paid tribute to the outgoing prime minister in Monday night’s party room meeting.
“Whatever you might say about Tony Abbott, he is one classy, genuine individual. He’s a very honourable man and he made it clear that he’s disappointed with the result last night,” Billson said. “He said he will give his full support [to Turnbull] now that the decision has been made and that’s a mark of the quality and character of the individual.”
The New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, took to Facebook to deliver a touching political eulogy for his good friend, whom he described as “grounded in a deep humility”.
“I’ve known Tony Abbott for close to 15 years and I am proud to call him a mate. He will be hurting. So will his wonderful wife Margie and his girls. As their friend, I hurt with them,” he wrote.
“Many of those throwing stones don’t see the heart behind the man who has spent decades volunteering at the local surf club or working a shift with the Rural Fire Service, not for political gain, but for the simple reason that he loves his community.”
The woman who served as his deputy for close to six years, first in opposition and then in government, was clearly emotional at the leadership change.
Julie Bishop said she had spoken to Abbott on Monday afternoon, telling him to step down.
“He was calm. He was obviously very hurt. Emotionally, this is a very draining time for people and I feel for Tony and I feel for Margie and his daughters,” Bishop told the Nine Network on Tuesday morning.
“I knew them well, and I know what stresses and strains that the leadership are under. And so it was a very difficult time for him. Of course it was very emotional for everybody involved.”
When asked if there were tears, Bishop answered: “I think there were tears shed.”
“From you?” the interviewer, Karl Stefanovic, pressed. “I’m not enjoying this Karl. It is a very difficult time,” the deputy Liberal leader answered.
Abbott also received sympathy from unexpected quarters.
“It’s hard not to feel sorry for Tony Abbott. All of us suffer disappointments and disasters in our life but few of us get knifed publicly on live television – and that’s what happened to Tony Abbott last night,” the shadow communications minister, Jason Clare, told reporters on Tuesday morning.
The shadow infrastructure minister, Anthony Albanese, told the Nine network.“Something I admire about Tony Abbott is his loyalty. I think it cost him, the fact that he was loyal to Bronwyn Bishop, beyond when it was sensible, in terms of her speakership and others,”
“But I have respect for him as person even though I have very strong ideological differences with him and political differences with him. But today, he’ll be doing it tough and I think, as a human being I think he deserves a bit of space,” Albanese continued. “I certainly wish upon him, on a personal level, all the best.”
Other politicians were not so quick to hold their tongues.
“It is probably fair to say that Tony Abbott did not connect with a significant section of the Australian public,” the West Australian premier, Liberal Colin Barnett, told reporters.
Crossbenchers said they were looking forward to dealing with the new prime minister.
“I’ve heard my crossbench colleagues say they like Malcolm Turnbull. That’s not something you heard about Tony Abbott,” the Liberal Democrat senator, David Leyonhjelm, told Sky News.
“The paradox is Tony Abbott was a great opposition leader, [but had a] mixed report card as PM,” independent Nick Xenophon offered.
The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, was scathing of the “revolving door” of prime ministers that Australia has seen in the last few years, but left his strongest criticism for Abbott.
“We have had five years and five different prime ministers. There is something wrong with the culture of our two main political parties. To see the revolving door that has become the Australian prime ministership speaks volumes about the toxic culture that exists within the two major political parties,” he told reporters on Tuesday morning.
“That said, Tony Abbott will be remembered as one of the worst prime ministers in the nation’s history.”
