Was Tony Abbot Australia’s worst prime minister?

William McMahon was Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972. He was first elected to Federal Parliament in 1949, and held the seat of Lowe, in Sydney, for 33 years. He was 63 years old when he became prime minister, the oldest after John McEwen at 67 years old. He was also one of three prime ministers to have a baby while in office; the others were Joseph Lyons and Andrew Fisher. He had a long and very public struggle with John Gorton. He had a history of internal party conflict and distrust. His government was defeated by Labor in 1972.

It is relatively easy to see why the above were classified as Australia's worst. Quirky people, voted into power at a difficult time in Australian history and not mainstream. Tony Abbott also fits this categorisation.

So what makes a great Australian Prime Minister Readers of this opinion piece may disagree, but this writer puts his requirements as:

1. Obeys the universal moral rule: help those who need help; harm no one.
2. Builds the economy and maximises employment.

So who was Australia's greatest? That is another article.