Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott have been asked to serve as special envoys under Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Mr Joyce has been appointed the special envoy for drought assistance and recovery, while Mr Abbott will be the special envoy for Indigenous affairs.

Here's what that means and why they've been given the job.

What is a special envoy?

A special envoy's job is to act as an advocate and advisor for their specific cause.

It is not a ministerial position — Mr Joyce and Mr Abbott are not official members of Mr Morrisons' ministry — but it is a high-profile job that will require good communication and negotiation skills.

What will Barnaby Joyce do?

As special envoy for drought assistance and recovery, Mr Joyce will work to help regional Australians affected by the drought.

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He will travel across the country and use what he learns to advise the Government on drought relief policy.

As the former minister for agriculture and water resources under Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Joyce is well-qualified for the job.

But he won't be able to deliver any new infrastructure while he is outside the ministry.

What will Tony Abbott do?

As special envoy for Indigenous affairs, Mr Abbott will champion Indigenous issues.

He has said his primary focus will be to address the gap in Aboriginal education and boost school attendance rates.

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He's been chosen for the job because during his time in office, he said he wanted to be the Prime Minister for Indigenous Australians.

But he was initially hesitant to take on the role, as he was unsure how it would work alongside the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, and other advisory bodies.

Is this just a job to keep them busy?

The more cynical of you may think so.

Some Liberals openly admit Mr Abbott has been a destabilising figure and giving him this responsibility may be an attempt to keep him busy.

Special envoy positions or ambassador posts are sometimes seen as a way to keep destabilising people away from Canberra.

But in this case, Mr Abbott and Mr Joyce will both maintain their parliamentary work in the capital.

When Fran Kelly asked Mr Joyce on RN Breakfast this week whether he believed his new role was a make-work job, he said:

"Well I'm going to make it work no matter which way.

"Imagine how people would feel if I said I was offered a role where I could have helped you in the drought and I turned it down because I was sooking — I don't think that would work. You get in and make things work for yourself. And you work for them.

"I've got to do my part in whichever form it's been given to me to try and help, and if this is the form that's been given to me, I'll use it to the best of my ability."

Who else has been a special envoy?

Philip Ruddock was appointed Australia's special envoy for human rights in February, 2016.

Philip Ruddock retired shortly after being appointed a special envoy. ( ABC News: Nick Haggarty )

His job was to advance Australia's human rights priorities and to spearhead the Government's push to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

He also represented the country at numerous international human rights events, but that didn't come cheap.

In May last year it was reported that he'd racked up bills of more than $200,000 visiting 23 countries, from Central America and East Africa to Scandinavia and the Caribbean.

But the Coalition insisted it was money well spent.