Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott has channelled Bob Hawke and skolled (skulled) a schooner of beer at a Sydney pub.

Mobile phone footage of Mr Abbott downing a schooner at a university awards night at Sydney's Royal Oak Hotel has gone viral on social media.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he is pleased Mr Abbott has learned to drink beer without lemonade, a reference to the prime minister's liking for a shandy.

Mr Hawke set a world record for skolling a yard of beer while he was at Oxford University in 1954.

And in 2012, he delighted cricket fans at the SCG when he skolled a beer at age 82.

It is unclear what the effect the stunt will have on Tony Abbott's personal popularity, which is currently hovering between 30 - 35%.