Tony Abbott is new PM of Australia

18092013

Tony Abbott has been sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Australia. 55 year-old Abbott took oath at the Government House in Canberra, in front of Governor-General Quentin Bryce. His conservative coalition had won a comfortable lower house majority in the 7 September polls. Abbott had unveiled his new 19-member Cabinet on Monday, with only one woman, foreign minister Julie Bishop in the line-up. The new ministers will be sworn in later in the day. Abbott said, as well as carbon tax repeal, his government will put the budget back into surplus, and turn back boats bringing asylum seekers from across Asia via Indonesia.