Mr Turnbull told young leaders in New York it was important not to be driven by hate when you've been axed from the top job.

"When you stop being prime minister, that's it," he said in a recording of his remarks on Friday obtained by Nine News.

Mr Turnbull quit parliament immediately after losing the leadership.

"There is no way I'd be hanging around like embittered Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott. Seriously, these people are like, sort of miserable, miserable ghosts," he said.

"Move on."

Mr Rudd, who after being knifed as prime minister stayed in parliament and destabilised Julia Gillard's reign until he returned to the top job, responded to Mr Turnbull on Twitter.

"Dear Malcolm. A quick reality check on "miserable ghosts": First, having told the world you've left politics behind, you seem to be in the media every day talking about it," Mr Rudd tweeted.

"Second, in case you didn't notice, I left parliament for NYC five years ago. Why not come over for a cuppa?"

Mr Turnbull also said he still couldn't understand the Liberal leadership crisis that led to his eviction in August.

The former Liberal leader said he was behind 51 to 49 per cent in the published polls, but was actually ahead by four points in internal tracking polls across 40 marginal seats.

"For reasons that they've not been able to explain, you know, there was an element of the party and of the media that wanted to blow the government up, and they did," Mr Turnbull said.

"They didn't get their guy up, they got ScoMo (Scott Morrison)."

Mr Morrison said he would "leave all of the ghosts in the past", and thanked Mr Turnbull for representing Australia at a recent United Nations forum.

"He's no longer in politics. He's made that pretty clear and he's not interested in offering political commentary, but he still has a lot to offer the country," Mr Morrison told reporters.

Asked whether Mr Abbott should leave parliament, Mr Morrison replied: "He's running in the next election. He's running for Warringah."

Mr Morrison said Mr Abbott was working to get indigenous children into schools as special envoy on indigenous affairs.

"So I'm glad he's running again," he said.

Australian Associated Press