Australia's new Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is expected to travel to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea today as he endeavours to get the asylum seeker detention camp deal with the Peter O'Neill government on what he calls a more enduring footing.
Mr Morrison said on arrival in PNG yesterday his government is very grateful for the assistance from PNG in dealing with illegal arrivals to Australia, and providing the processing in offshore places.
He says there are many challenges ahead to ensure arrangements made by the previous government are put on a stable footing.
Australia is currently housing 780 asylum seekers on Manus.
During the election Mr Morrison was highly critical of the Rudd government scheme under which all asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat are being sent to either Nauru or PNG for processing and resettlement.
He called it a donut deal - nothing in the centre, with the coalition promising to salvage what it could from the arrangement.
