Julie Bishop has hit out at the “dirty tactics” that saw key Liberal party members tear down her candidacy in Friday’s leadership spill.

Ms Bishop was the party’s deputy leader for more than a decade but was knocked out in the first round of voting in Friday’s leadership ballot after Malcolm Turnbull allowed a spill to go ahead.

In the wake of the tumultuous push for a new leader, messages from a private WhatsApp group revealed plans to throw support behind eventual Prime Minister Scott Morrison from round one, rather than Ms Bishop, to ensure rival Peter Dutton would not win the ballot.

Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher told 19 Liberal Party members in the “Friends of Stability” WhatsApp group, “despite our hearts tugging us to Julie, we need to vote with our heads for Scott in round one”.

“[Mathias] Cormann rumoured to be putting some WA votes behind Julie Bishop in round one,” Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher wrote to the group.

But as Mr Morrison, the sixth prime minister in a decade, attempts to restore stability to his fractured government , Ms Bishop says frustrated Australians are still looking for answers.

The member for Curtain, who will now move to the backbench for the meantime, said the chaos of the week-long leadership spill had been “personally devastating” for a number of Australians.

“You would have to ask the individuals involved but it appeared to be a tactic to promote Peter Dutton into the prime ministership, whatever the cost,” Ms Bishop said.

There has been speculation she could take on an ambassador role or succeed Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove when his commission finishes in March.

Cormann denies ‘dirty tricks’

Julie Bishop’s colleagues say she left her run for the Liberal leadership a bit late and deny the outgoing foreign minister was the victim of a “dirty tricks” campaign.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says he doesn’t believe she was the victim of dirty tricks.

“I mean, I don’t know. Not from my point of view,” he told ABC TV on Monday.

The minister, who backed Peter Dutton to become prime minister, said rumours he had been involved in such tactics were untrue.

“I can completely and categorically rule out any such tricks, as you call it,” he said.

Fellow WA MP Melissa Price, who is joining the front bench as Environment Minister, said she thought Ms Bishop left her tilt at the top job too late.

“I wondered whether Julie was perhaps just a couple of hours late to the piece and I really felt that maybe people had already aligned themselves with either Dutton or Morrison,” she told ABC Perth on Monday.

“I’m not a mind reader, I can’t tell you what the rest of my colleagues were thinking, but I think that might have played a part.”