Tony Abbott - Early Life and Family

Early Life and Family

Abbott was born in London, England,on 4 November 1957 to expatriate Australian parents. On 7 September 1960, his family moved to Australia on the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme ship Oronsay. His mother was an Australian citizen and his father had lived in Australia since 1940 when he arrived as a 16-year-old to get away from the dangers of wartime Britain. His father trained in dentistry and then returned to England. His family first lived in the suburbs of Bronte and later moved to Chatswood in Sydney, New South Wales. Abbott attended primary school at St Aloysius' College at Milson's Point, before completing his secondary school education at St Ignatius' College, Riverview in Sydney (both are Jesuit schools). He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics (BEc) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Sydney where he resided at St John's College, and was president of the Student Representative Council. He then travelled via India to Britain to study at The Queen's College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) in Politics and Philosophy. Following his time in Britain, he returned to Australia via Africa and advised his family of an intention to join the priesthood. He subsequently entered St. Patrick's Seminary at Manly, in Sydney.

During his university days, Abbott gained media attention for his political stance opposing the then dominant left-wing student leadership. On one occasion he was even beaten up at a university conference. A student newspaper editor with political views opposed to those of Abbott took him to court for indecent assault after he touched her during a student debate. The charges against Abbott were dismissed by the court. According to the Sun-Herald newspaper, it was "an ugly and often violent time", and Abbott's tactics in student politics were like "an aggressive terrier". He was also a prominent student boxer.

Beyond his involvement in student politics, biographer Michael Duffy, wrote that during his student days he once "saved a child who was swept out to sea. Another time, helped save children from a burning house next to a pub where he was drinking. On each occasion he disappeared before he could be properly thanked".

When Abbott was 19, his girlfriend became pregnant and believed Abbott to be the biological father. The couple did not marry and put the child up for adoption. For 27 years, Abbott believed that he fathered this child. In 2004, the boy sought out his biological mother and it was publicly revealed that the child had become an ABC sound recordist who worked in Parliament House, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, and was involved in making television programs in which Abbott appeared. The story was reported around the world, but DNA testing later revealed that Abbott was not the man's father.

In 1984, aged 26, Abbott entered St Patrick's Seminary, Manly. At high school, Abbott had been taught and influenced by the Jesuits, a liberal Catholic religious order, and nominates Fr. Emmett Costello SJ as a significant mentor. At university, he encountered B. A. Santamaria, a noted Catholic political activist who had led a movement against Communism within the Australian trade union movement and Labor Party a generation earlier. Abbott did not complete his studies at the seminary however, quitting the institution in 1987.

Following his departure from the seminary, Abbott met and married Margaret Aitken, worked in journalism, briefly ran a concrete plant and began to get involved in national politics.

Throughout his time as a student and seminarian, Abbott was writing articles for newspapers and magazines—first for the Sydney University Newspaper, and later The Catholic Weekly and national publications like The Bulletin. He eventually became a journalist and wrote for The Australian.

Abbott and his wife have three daughters (Louise, Bridget and Frances).