What kind of PM could Abbott be? JOHN Howard calls him "direct and authentic." Kevin Rudd calls him a "boxing Blue," referring to his prowess in the ring at Oxford. Tony Abbott has been part of Australia's political furniture for the best part of two decades. If polls are to be believed, the Rhodes Scholar and amateur triathlete will change hats from the 32nd leader of the opposition to the nation's 28th prime minister in September. Abbott has spent much of 2013 softening his aggressive image to that of a more moderate figure with a plan for the future. Howard says Abbott's great strength is his "consultative style" - a useful tool in a party full of prime ministerial wannabes. He is a good listener. He understands the ambitions of others as well as striving to realise his own," the former prime minister wrote in his memoir, Lazarus Rising. The member for the Sydney northern beaches seat of Warringah was born in England in 1957. Educated at one of Sydney's top Catholic boys' schools, St Ignatius' College Riverview, he was heavily influenced by his Jesuit background. Abbott's Achilles heel has been women voters' impression of him - highlighted by Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech - as sexist and bringing his Catholicism to women's reproductive rights. To counter this he's rolled out a generous paid parental leave scheme, made media appearances with his wife and three daughters and ruled out any changes to abortion law should he win office. Few voters could be in the dark about Abbott's first-term priorities for a new Liberal-National coalition government. Number one on the agenda is drafting laws to abolish the carbon tax. However, Abbott will need to wait until the Senate changes over in July 2014 to have any chance of getting the numbers to pass his bill. His second priority is to reintroduce temporary protection visas for asylum seekers and negotiate with Indonesia to turn boats around. Abbott may get an opportunity to talk with the Indonesian leadership in Bali in early October during the annual APEC summit. If he wins, a commission of audit will cast a corporate eye over the budget bottom line and give incoming treasurer Joe Hockey a starting point for cuts and reallocation of spending. The remainder of the former journalist's agenda is summarised in his three-word campaign slogan "hope, reward and opportunity." Having volunteered time each year to work in remote indigenous communities, the 55-year-old will place responsibility for indigenous affairs in the prime minister's department. The abolished carbon tax scheme will be replaced with a program of "Direct Action" that will pump $2.5 billion into soil carbon, tree planting and solar cells to achieve a five per cent cut in emissions by 2020. The coalition has also set a target to create one million jobs over five years and two million over a decade. Workplace reform has been largely put on hold for any first term Abbott government, but white papers or Productivity Commission inquiries into areas from child care to tax reform will pave the way for a second-term agenda. They could also open his government up to Labor attack, especially over the GST. "At last the choice is yours, it's not the choice of the caucus, it's not the choice of the faceless men, it's your choice," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Sunday. Mr Abbott said he and his coalition team were determined to build a "better Australia." "We will build a stronger economy, so that everyone can get ahead," he said. We will scrap the carbon tax, we will get the budget back under control, we build the infrastructure of the future, and we will stop the boats.