Dumped chief whip Philip Ruddock denies he has been made a scapegoat for the Liberals leadership instability.
But he has refused to comment on the reasons for his sacking.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott dropped the Liberal Party veteran in a shock announcement on Friday, replacing him with Queensland MP Scott Buchholz.
Defending the overhaul of the whip's office, Mr Abbott said he should have been more aware of the backbench revolt that nearly cost him the top job.
On Sunday he acknowledged his "terrible failing" of not communicating with backbench colleagues.
"I never want to find myself in this position ever again," Mr Abbott told Network Ten.
"I'm confident that with the whip's team we've got, I will be very much aware of what's going on inside the party."
But Mr Ruddock indicated the prime minister had not expressed any concerns about his performance as chief whip.
"My expectation is that if the prime minister had concerns about the way I undertook the task, he would put them to me," he told Sky News.
The shake-up has been criticised by Liberal MP Andrew Laming, who says taking retribution on Mr Ruddock had dashed hopes for healing after Monday's failed leadership spill.
However, Mr Ruddock rejected Mr Laming's suggestions that he had been made a scapegoat "of Godzilla proportions".
"The position I held is one that the leader chooses, and I have no complaint about that," Mr Ruddock said.
Former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello also questioned the sacking of Mr Ruddock, whom the Liberal Party had always regarded a "bit of a hero".
"I still do and I'm not sure what he did wrong," he told the Ten Network.
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