Prime Minister meets with Tuckwell Scholars

The ANU 2015 Tuckwell scholars have met Prime Minister Tony Abbott at his Parliament House office.

Mr Abbott underlined the importance of making the most from the Tuckwell Scholarships, and reflected on his own time as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.

"Make the most of yourself, in a way that is not just about you and making money, but is about trying to add to the sum of human happiness, add to the stock of human insight, add to the cohesion of society," Mr Abbott said.

"Anyone who makes an impact on others is going to have a whole lot of expectations clustering around them. Some you'll meet, some you might disappoint, and on some you might exceed, but the important thing is to be having a go and making the most of yourself in a way that makes the most of others."

Mr Abbott discussed idealism and morality with the Tuckwell scholars, and then spoke about using his position to benefit others.

"I was always very conscious of fact that I was privileged," he said.

"Then of course to get a Rhode's Scholarship was the icing on the cake, if you like, of gilded youth.

"I've always thought that 'to whom much is given, much is expected', and you just have to have-a-go and do the best you can in the circumstances to which you find yourself."

The ANU Tuckwell Scholarship program was established by Graham and Louise Tuckwell through the Tuckwell Foundation.

The scholarships are worth around $21,700 a year for up to five years of study.