(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
Less than fifty years ago, Indigenous Australians were counted in the census as flora and fauna, not citizens.
But now, Mr Abbott says, it won't be long until he has an Indigenous successor.
"We have in Ken Wyatt, the first Indigenous member of the House of Representatives, and in this term of Parliament we have in Nova Peris the first female Indigenous member of this Parliament. Two Indigenous members of this Parliament in this the 44th Parliament of our country. May that number increase. May we one day, not too far off, have an Indigenous Prime Minister."
For only the third time in history, the Australian Parliament has opened with an Indigenous welcome to country and smoking ceremony.
Local Ngambri-Ngunnawal elder Matilda House has given the Prime Minister a welcome gift - a fighting boomerang - which she asked him not to use.
The tradition of giving a welcome gift to the PM began in 2007.
House: "The first was a message stick. The second was a boomerang; it didn't work. No, I am not saying no more! And today's symbol - and you are not allowed to take this, as this gift will be for this Parliament, it's not for you to run around the Parliament House with - it's a fighting boomerang."
Abbott: "Thank you so much."
House: "It's good for hunting."
Abbott: "I won't use it."
Opposition leader Bill Shorten continued in the spirit of cooperation and reconciliation.
"We understand in this place that there is still much more to be done and it's with this renewed spirit of reconciliation that we stand together today and reaffirm our commitment to do more. The work of reconciliation does not end with one Parliament - it transcends Parliament and it transcends politics in our nation."
Since being elected Prime Minister, Tony Abbott has been promising the 44th parliament will be much kinder and gentler than the one before it.
While the swearing in of 42 new members of the House of Representatives went smoothly, once Parliament turned to the business of electing a new Speaker, the ALP and Coalition were immediately at odds.
Manager of government business Christopher Pyne seconded the government's nomination of veteran Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop.
"I expect her to be firm, especially with the Opposition and sometimes I think she will be with the Government and that would only be because it was appropriate at the time. (journalist) Laurie Oakes said in the newspapers on the weekend that it was the situation of the poacher becoming gamekeeper for the member for McKellar to the the Speaker. My advice to the fourth estate (the media) is that poachers usually make very good gamekeepers."
Ms Bishop is famous for her attacking parliamentary style which has seen her thrown out of Parliament on numerous occasions.
Questioning Ms Bishop's ability to be even-handed, Labor MP Kelvin Thomson instead nominated Member for McEwan, Rob Mitchell.
"No-one doubts that the member for McKellar is experienced but we have experience of her. I think members will understand what I am saying when I say that she is very black and white. There are certainly no shades of grey with her. I understand that it is her intention to continue to attend meetings of her party room. On this side, we are looking for a Speaker who can be even-handed, reasonable, capable of seeing the other person's point of view."
But in a sign of things to come in Opposition, Labor's bid to install Mr Mitchell as Speaker failed, voted down 93 to 56.
The Coalition controls the House of Representatives with 90 seats to Labor's 55.
Sitting on the cross bench are billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer and Victorian farmer Cathy McGowan joining returning MPs Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie and Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt.
