Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described his government as "remarkably underappreciated" during a tribute dinner to mark the end of his 25 years in politics.
Many who spoke at the event in Sydney last night told guests Mr Abbott had been equally undervalued.
He spoke last.
"I used to think that the Abbott government was a remarkably underappreciated one," he said.
"The great thing tonight is that finally I think it might be seen for what it really was — a good-faith effort to help our country to be the very best it could be."
Master of ceremonies Alan Jones said there was so much love for Mr Abbott that even with 1,000 guests attending "hundreds" more had to be turned away.
It was a contradiction for a politician who had been defeated in a nasty and bruising campaign for the seat of Warringah, Mr Jones said.
"Tony Abbott … has a heart which beats like everybody else and he's been brutally wounded by appalling condemnation and vilification which no person of his ability should ever have had to endure," Mr Jones told a Liberal Party who's who.
Mr Jones described the campaign that unseated Mr Abbott at this year's election as "one of the most disgraceful chapters in Australian political history".
"It wasn't the defeat it was the extent to which the personal vilification and undermining of the character and decency of this man was not only embraced by the electorate but condoned by people who should have known better."
At May's federal vote, the former PM was swamped in the once safe Liberal seat on Sydney's northern beaches by independent Zali Stegall.
'A man for others'
Peter Dutton said Mr Abbott had been largely misunderstood.
"I think in fact it's his intelligence and depth of thought that wasn't properly appreciated by many of the modern-day journalists," he said, adding that most people who meet Mr Abbott say he is nothing like what he seems on television.
"In fact that is the great tragedy, not that he's a different person publicly but that he is portrayed as such by his opponents.
"Nevertheless Australians sensed a decency in Tony and they were right."
Mr Abbott was praised for policy achievements such as abolishing the carbon tax and the mining tax, and putting Australia "on the path to surplus".
And his many volunteering and fundraising efforts, including his annual support of the Pollie Pedal, were acknowledged.
Mr Morrison thanked Mr Abbott for identifying Islamic State as a threat to Australia before many leaders in the Western world had thought to, and for his compassion and drive towards improving Indigenous lives.
Mr Howard said his greatest policy achievement was "restoring Australia's border protection regime".
In a video tribute, Australia's ambassador to the United States, Joe Hockey, said he was sure Mr Abbott's contribution to the public debate had not ended.
"Whatever you do or say in the future will most definitely be for others — you are genuinely a man for others," he said.
With Mr Hockey's words still ringing in his ears, Mr Abbott chose not to blame others for his political demise.
"If anyone wants to know who is to blame for the Warringah result it was not the campaign — it was just the candidate," he said acknowledging there were "few happy endings in public life".
