Tony Abbott has led a chorus of Liberal MPs scathingly critical of Australia's current political culture.
Malcolm Turnbull defeated Mr Abbott 54-44 in a Liberal partyroom ballot on Monday night and was sworn in as Australia's 29th prime minister on Tuesday.
The ballot followed months of disenchantment with Mr Abbott's management style and "captain's calls" as well as a failed leadership spill in February which many coalition MPs felt left the issue unresolved.
In his final statement as prime minister, Mr Abbott on Tuesday asked reporters in Canberra not to print "self-serving claims that the person making them won't put his or her name to".
"A febrile media culture has developed that rewards treachery," he said.
Mr Abbott said he was proud of his government's achievements, insisting it remained focused despite the "white-anting".
The outgoing prime minister said he would not engage in wrecking, undermining or sniping but did not say whether or not he would contest the next election due in 2016.
He was backed by Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who told supporters in an email that ditching a first-term prime minister showed the party had been "sucked into the same vortex of poll-driven opportunism and 'whatever it takes' mentality that afflicts the Labor Party".
"Frankly, I thought we were better than that," Senator Bernardi said.
"Abbott suffered the treachery and disloyalty that seems to be the stock in trade of the politically ambitious and in the end, paid the ultimate political price."
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said it had been a "brutal" 24 hours in politics.
"To topple an elected and serving prime minister in his first term of office is not something to be proud of," Mr Barnett said.
Former prime minister John Howard said Mr Abbott had a record of which he could be very proud but acknowledged there were flaws.
"I think captain's calls are generally inconsistent with the Westminster system of government," Mr Howard said.
Mr Turnbull offered an olive branch to his colleagues at his first partyroom meeting as government leader, saying he would bring together the liberal and conservative traditions of the party.
He told colleagues he wanted an "open and collaborative culture" and a cabinet government in the same style as that of Mr Howard.
Mr Turnbull has appointed long-time Liberal operative Tony Nutt as his "director of transition" and made Communications Department secretary Drew Clark his acting chief of staff.
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