The latest polling shows many people believe Mr Abbott is the least competent Australian leader in 20 years. He fares even worse when it comes to being trustworthy, according to a December Fairfax Ipsos poll. And it is trust and competence that matter most to the public, say political pundits. It is not unusual for prime ministers to struggle in their first term, says lecturer at the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University, Dr Zareh Ghazarian. Over the past 20 or 30 years in Australian politics it has taken most new prime ministers time to "find their feet", says Dr Ghazarian.'Getting on with the job'