Looking back on the coalition government

THE ABBOTT-TURNBULL GOVERNMENTS SINCE 2013

2013

SEPTEMBER

- Coalition elected to government with Tony Abbott at the helm. Wins 90 seats to Labor's 55, with five crossbenchers. Came to power promising there wou;d be no cuts to education, health, ABC, SBS and no change to pensions or the GST.

- Abbott appoints ministry with only one woman. Launches Operation Sovereign Borders to "stop the boats".

2014

FEBRUARY

- Launches royal commission into trade union corruption.

MARCH

- Abbott reintroduces knights and dames to Australian honours system.

APRIL

- Signs free trade agreement with Korea

MAY

- Treasurer Joe Hockey delivers Abbott government's first budget. Includes cuts to pensions, welfare payments, ABC, SBS, deregulation of university fees coupled with a 20 per cent cut in funding, reductions in hospital funding, a Medicare co-payment, cuts to CSIRO, fuel tax hike, budget repair levy on wealthy. Many of the measures were blocked by the Senate.

JULY

- New crossbench senators take their place in parliament: Jacqui Lambie, Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang from the Palmer United Party; Motoring Enthusiasts Party's Ricky Muir; Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm and; Family First's Bob Day. Abbott later describes the Senate as "feral".

- Signs free trade agreement with Japan.

- Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shot down near the Ukraine-Russian border. Russia accused of hindering recovery efforts at the crash site. Abbott reportedly considers sending troops to Ukraine. Threatens to shirtfront Russian president Vladimir Putin.

- Labor's carbon tax scrapped after new Senate agrees.

SEPTEMBER

- Mining tax repealed in deal with Palmer United Party.

- Abbott announces Australia will send troops to Iraq to support US-led coalition fighting Islamic State. Interrupts promised week in indigenous community to farewell troops.

NOVEMBER

- Abbott hosts APEC leaders summit in Brisbane. Gladhands, rather than shirtfronts Putin.

DECEMBER

- Arthur Sinodinos resigns as assistant treasurer pending NSW ICAC investigation.

- Defence Minister David Johnston dumped in reshuffle of ministry; Sussan Ley becomes second woman in cabinet; Scott Morrison continues his rise up the ministerial ladder to social services.

2015

JANUARY

- Abbott in a "captain's call" names Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of the Queen, as his second Australian knight. Sets off a firestorm of criticism, even from his own side.

FEBRUARY

Reaction to the captain's call and more poor opinion polls, prompted West Australian MPs Don Randall and Luke Simpkins to move a motion spilling the Liberal leadership. Abbott survives against nobody 61-39.

MAY

- Hockey delivers the Abbott government's second budget. Is better received but still retains several contentious measures from the 2014 budget.

JULY

- Liberal MP Don Randall dies suddenly, requiring a by-election in his Perth seat of Canning.

AUGUST

- Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker after being caught up in the Choppergate scandal.

SEPTEMBER

- Signs free trade agreement with China.

- Malcolm Turnbull declares challenge to Abbott. Wins 54-44 to becomes the country's 29th prime minister.

- Liberals win Canning by-election, despite 6.9 per cent swing to Labor.

- New ministry appointed with more women; Hockey dumped for Scott Morrison and no spot for Abbot.

2016

JANUARY

- Government floats idea of increasing GST. Scrapped almost as quickly.

FEBRUARY

- Ministry reshuffle after Jamie Briggs is sacked and Mal Brough resigns over police investigations regarding former Speaker Peter Slipper. Record number of women in cabinet.

- Barnaby Joyce becomes Nationals leader and deputy PM after Warren Truss announces he'll retire. Fiona Nash elected deputy leader.

MARCH

- Turnbull requests governor-general to recall parliament to deal with legislation to reinstate the building industry watchdog. Vows to hold a double-dissolution election on July 2 if the Senate rejects bills a second time.

- Turnbull floats idea of allowing states to levy their own income tax to pay for schools and hospitals. Days later, state governments reject the plan.

APRIL

- Declares no children are being held in immigration detention on the Australian mainland.

- In a special sitting of parliament, the Senate rejects for a second time the Australian Building and Construction Commission bill, handing Turnbull the trigger he was seeking for a July 2 election.