The change will be put to Liberal Party members in Seaforth on Friday night to arrange for Mr Corbett replace Mr Abbott’s close ally,Walter Villatora,as the president of the Federal Electorate Conference.
Mr Villatora,who will stay on the FEC in another role,has been mentioned for years as a likely replacement for Mr Abbott and said the change meant he could move on from internal party matters.
"It’s very good for Tony to have someone of Roger’s stature coming in,"he said.
Asked if he was interested in being the Liberal candidate for Warringah in the future,Mr Villatora said:"Tony is a relatively young man and there can’t be any realistic expectation about Warringah."
Mr Abbott told Fairfax Media that Mr Villatora had done a"fabulous"job in the push to democratise the Liberal Party and would stay in the Warringah Liberals as a vice-president.
"I thought it would be good to have someone of Roger's stature coming into the party organisation,"he said,confirming that he had approached Mr Corbett to take up the position at the FEC.
Mr Abbott also said the decision by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make him a special envoy on indigenous affairs showed he had more to contribute to public life for some time to come.
"I certainly don't intend to retire anytime soon,"he said.
"I certainly think I've got a lot of public life left in me."
Nationals MP Damian Drum rebuked the former prime minister at the height of the leadership challenge to Mr Turnbull last month,saying Mr Abbott should leave Parliament.
"He vowed he wouldn't be a wrecker and that’s exactly what he’s been,a wrecker,"Mr Drum said.
"He needs to get out of the joint."
Some Liberals said yesterday that one of Mr Corbett's most important tasks would be to arrange a smooth transfer to a new Liberal MP over time.
The urgent need to replace Mr Turnbull in Wentworth has raised questions over the party's succession plans for key seats,with the sudden departure of leading candidate Andrew Bragg in order to encourage a Liberal woman to win the seat.
While the conservatives have held control of the Warringah FEC for some time,the new outcome is expected to include some moderates as the office bearers in what is described as a more"balanced"outcome.
Local members tried to topple Mr Villatora two years ago,when former honorary party treasurer Philip Higginson ran for the presidency but lost by 41 to 57 votes.