The coalition launched its mini-election campaign on Sunday in Sydney's west with a speech from Mr Abbott and a series of television advertisements.
The unlikely location of the Auburn basketball centre was transformed for Mr Abbott's speech into a US-rally style convention centre complete with stage, a giant Australian flag and hundreds of supporters waving placards with the coalition's slogan Hope. Reward. Opportunity.
After striding to the stage to rapturous applause, Mr Abbott spoke from in front of a bank of tiered seating filled with Liberal party faithful, including his wife Margie.
In the speech, the federal member for Warringah pledged to scrap the carbon and mining taxes, cut red tape and secure the nation's borders, calling the upcoming federal election the most important in a generation.
Despite the event's US-style set-up, Mr Abbott embraced local vernacular in the speech.
"When I say we will deliver competent fair dinkum government you know we will because we did," he told the crowd of around 300 people.
He also stressed his family's place in Australia's "social fabric".
"We're a pretty normal family with a mortgage with bills we've struggled with the school fees we've struggled with the hospital bills," he said.
"We know what it's like to struggle."
Mr Abbott also thanked his wife for her support, and her contribution to coalition policy on child care.
"Don't I know something about child care because every other day Margie's chewing my ear about just what we need to improve the child care system," he said to laughter from the crowd.
The coalition's campaign blueprint - Our Plan: Real Solutions for all Australians - pledges cuts to the public service, and to build a "five pillar economy" by boosting manufacturing, agriculture exports, advanced services, education and mining.
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