Tony Abbott has pledged not to undermine new Liberal Leader Malcolm Turnbull as he made his final statement as Prime Minister after Monday night's dramatic leadership spill.

In a short speech on Tuesday in the Prime Minister's courtyard, Mr Abbott thanked the "Australian people for giving me the honour to serve" but delivered a stinging criticism of poll-driven commentary, critics of his chief-of-staff Peta Credlin and a media he said "rewarded treachery".

Tony Abbott gave no indicated of whether he would continue on the backbench. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

"This is not an easy day for many people in this building. Leadership changes are never easy for our country," Mr Abbott said.

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"My pledge today is to make this change as easy as I can.

"There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping. I've never leaked or backgrounded against anyone. And I certainly won't start now."

Mr Abbott gave no indication of whether he would continue on the backbench, telling reporters "this is a tough day, but when you join the game, you accept the rules".

"I want our government and our country to succeed. I always have and I always will," he said.

"I've consistently said in opposition and in government that being the Prime Minister is not an end in itself; it's about the people you serve.

"The great privilege that I have had is to see the wonder of this country like few others. And I
want to thank the Australian people for giving me the honour to serve."

The outgoing Prime Minister named axing Labor taxes - including the carbon tax, free trade deals with Japan, Korea and China, the government's response to security and terrorism threats, and stemming the flow of asylum-seeker boats as some of its achievements in the past two years.

He said he hoped future prime ministers would commit to spending a week of each year in remote indigenous communities as he had done.

"I am proud of what the Abbott government has achieved. We stayed focused despite the white-anting," he said.

"Of course, the government wasn't perfect. We have been a government of men and women, not a government of gods walking upon the earth."

Mr Abbott did not congratulate Mr Turnbull or mention any of his ministers by name.

He reserved his personal thanks for his wife Margie and his staff who had shown "unceasing devotion".

"Especially my chief of staff, who has been unfairly maligned by people who should've
known better," Mr Abbott said, in reference to Ms Credlin.

Mr Abbott reserved his worst criticism for the media, which he said had contributed to a change in Australia's political culture in the past decade.

He pointed to "more polls and more commentary than ever before" and said much of this centred on "sour, bitter, character assassination".

Mr Abbott said poll-driven politics had produced a "revolving-door prime ministership" that was not good for the country.

"And a febrile media culture has developed that rewards treachery," Mr Abbott said.

"And if there's one piece of advice I can give to the media, it's this: refuse to print self-serving claims that the person making them won't put his or her name to. Refuse to connive at dishonour by acting as the assassin's knife."

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