It's an exclusive group of former prime ministers who can empathise with how Tony Abbott must be feeling the morning after the night before.

But both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, themselves ousted from the leadership following bitter internal party division in recent years, have publicly congratulated Australia's incoming prime minister Malcolm Turnbull following his dramatic ascension to power on Monday night.

Mr Rudd, who is currently in Europe after speaking at a weekend conference in Switzerland, took to Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning to offer his "best wishes" to the man who is set to become Australia's 29th prime minister.

The comparison between Mr Rudd and Mr Turnbull has already been drawn by some within Mr Turnbull's own party.

Before the leadership challenges: Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard Photo: Andrew Meares

In an extraordinary spray on national television on Monday afternoon, former Victorian Liberal premier Jeff Kennett suggested the pair shared the trait of "extreme egotism".

"This act by Malcolm Turnbull is one of gross disloyalty, extreme egotism and he is, without a doubt, the Kevin Rudd of the Liberal Party," he told ABC News 24.

"He might be smart, he might be wealthy but the one thing he never has been and never will be, he's never been a team man and teams win, individuals don't."

Ms Gillard, who was toppled in a leadership spill in June 2013, also tweeted her congratulations to Mr Turnbull late on Monday night.

Perhaps one of the most bizarre social media responses came from eccentric billionaire MP Clive Palmer, who recorded a farewell video for Mr Abbott as he travelled in the back seat of a vehicle on Monday night.

He sent the video, which was similar to previous clips he had made for politicians Bronwyn Bishop and Campbell Newman, to media outlets and other politicians, after a single tweet saying simply: #Twidleytoo

"Goodbye Tony, goodbye. Goodbye Tony .. Tony time to go. Goodbye. Roll over, Malcolm's hopping into bed," " Mr Palmer says in the video.