Manus Island: Jacinda Ardern and Malcolm Turnbull meet

New Zealand’s newly elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated an offer to take 150 refugees from offshore centres in her first meeting with Malcolm Turnbull.

Flying across the Tasman for her first bilateral meeting with the Australian leader, Ms Ardern stepped off the plane in Sydney with a smile on her face on Sunday morning.

Ms Ardern’s relationship with Australia has been controversial since her election with deputy PM Julie Bishop labeling the 37-year-old New Zealand leader ‘untrustworthy’.

Fronting the media at Kirribilli House on Sunday, Mr Turnbull didn’t shut the door on the offer from Ms Ardern to resettle the refugees, saying they had engaged in ‘strong talks’.

New Zealand’s newly elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated an offer to take 150 refugees from offshore centres in her first meeting with Malcolm Turnbull (pictured)

Despite the offer to take 150 refugees from the Manus Island (pictured) and Naura centres back on the table, Mr Turnbull said his government would not be accepting it

Despite the offer to take 150 refugees from the Manus Island (pictured) and Naura centres back on the table, Mr Turnbull said his government would not be accepting it

In response to the offer to take refugees from Manus Island and Naura, Mr Turnbull said his government’s focus was foremost on a deal between Australia and the U.S.

‘In the wake of that, obviously we can consider other ones,’ he said 

Among other topics of conversation between the two leaders were terrorism, North Korea and the Pacific.

Offering praise for the recently elected leader, Mr Turnbull dubbed the knowledge of Ms Ardern on the Pacific as ‘second to none’.

‘We have so much to learn from NZ, there are so many areas where NZ’s… do a lot of things very efficiently,’ he told the press conference. 

Some 600 asylum seekers and refugees have barricaded themselves in the Manus Island complex, which officially closed last Tuesday.

Offering praise for the recently elected leader, Mr Turnbull dubbed the knowledge of Ms Ardern on the Pacific as 'second to none'

Offering praise for the recently elected leader, Mr Turnbull dubbed the knowledge of Ms Ardern on the Pacific as ‘second to none’

Some 600 asylum seekers and refugees have barricaded themselves in the Manus Island complex, which officially closed last Tuesday

Some 600 asylum seekers and refugees have barricaded themselves in the Manus Island complex, which officially closed last Tuesday

Those inside claim they will be attacked by PNG locals if they move to an alternative unfenced accommodation.

Ms Ardern has reiterated the NZ offer, first made under John Key’s government to the Gillard government in 2013 and rejected many times since.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten U-turned on Labor’s stance on Friday, saying the plan had similarities to the US resettlement deal to take 1250 people.

 

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