Prime Minister Julia Gillard has sown confusion about processing asylum seekers on East Timor, now saying the government is currently in dialogue only with East Timor.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her plan for a regional processing centre to deal with the growing number of illegal boat arrivals reaching Australian waters.
In the same speech Ms Gillard said she had discussed the idea with East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, while Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao asked for a concrete proposal.
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Ms Gillard said she indicated that East Timor was just "one possibility for the location for the regional processing centre."
However, in Perth on Friday, Ms Gillard was repeatedly asked if the government was considering any other locations or reopening the offshore processing centre on Manus Island, in northern Papua New Guinea.
The Manus Island detention centre was built in 2001 and closed in 2004. The deteriorated facility is now used by the PNG Defence Force.
She responded: "We're focused on a dialogue with East Timor, I couldn't any be clearer about that."
"Let's be very clear, we are in dialogue with East Timor ... we are now pursuing that dialogue in circumstance where the President of East Timor and Prime Minister said they are open to that
dialogue."
Throughout the 20 minute press conference, Ms Gillard did not mention PNG or Manus Island despite being asked several times.
"One step at a time, we have East Timor saying it's open to dialogue; we'll be talking to East Timor."
