A senior government minister says there's plenty of room within the Liberals for Tony Abbott to stay on in parliament.
The comment came as media reports suggested the former prime minister was sounded out for the role of high commissioner to the UK, but knocked it back.
Cabinet minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Friday he would support any decision Mr Abbott made about his future.
"It's a broad church in there and places for many people," Mr Hunt said.
"We have an outstanding current prime minister and a distinguished former prime minister and so parliament is rich in terms of two Rhodes scholars who've both contributed and are continuing to contribute to Australia."
Preselections for federal Liberal seats in NSW opened on Tuesday, putting pressure on Mr Abbott to decide whether to recontest his seat of Warringah.
Expectations within the party are that he will renominate.
Liberal frontbencher Josh Frydenberg said earlier this week Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had made it clear Mr Abbott "is not coming back to the cabinet any time soon".
Mr Turnbull has told Liberal colleagues he will take former leader John Howard's approach to sitting members and support them if they wish to recontest their seats.
Nominations for Liberal preselection in Mr Abbott's seat of Warringah close on February 19.
If he is challenged, the candidates will be assessed by a nomination review committee before a preselection ballot is held and the party's state executive endorses the winner.
