Malcolm Turnbull didn't offer Tony Abbott a position in his new-look ministry after taking the former prime minister's job.
"It's not something that Tony would seek either," Mr Turnbull told Nine Network on Monday.
The new prime minister said he understood what it was like to lose the leadership of a party, adding Mr Abbott would be going through "a rotten time" right now, however "the show has to go on".
Mr Turnbull later told the Seven Network he felt for Mr Abbott.
"It's horrible. It is a dark, black experience. It's awful. That sense of rejection. I deeply empathise with him. I am one of the few people who actually has a pretty good insight," he said.
Former treasurer Joe Hockey also was not offered a cabinet position.
"Joe said to me that he did not wish to be considered for the ministry and that he was planning to retire from parliament. So no, he was not - he asked not to be considered," Mr Turnbull said.
Senator Arthur Sinodinos, a senior Liberal figure, has not spoken to Mr Abbott since he lost the top job.
"I think things would be a bit raw and he may not want to hear from me right away," Mr Sinodinos told 3AW radio on Monday.
"I think in a situation like this you give people space - he's consulting with his family and that is appropriate."
Mr Sinodinos said he and the former PM "go a long way back" and, when asked if their next meeting would be frosty, he said Mr Abbott was right to note in his final speech that "politics can be a brutal game".
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