Malcolm Abbott is an economist by profession and in the past has worked for a number of government agencies and universities in Australia, New Zealand and a range of other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The main fields of work in which he has been engaged has been the development of energy markets and network infrastructure. In addition, he has also worked in other areas of policy including rail, seaports, airports, dairy industry deregulation, stevedoring, education management, and sports management. He has also undertaken work on a range of consulting projects both in Australia and overseas, for government agencies, local government, and private companies. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne.