Duterte was never coming to Sydney: PM

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the president of the Philippines was never going to be attending a special ASEAN summit in Sydney.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was never coming to Sydney for the ASEAN summit. (AAP)

Malcolm Turnbull insists the Philippines president was never coming to Australia for a special ASEAN summit.

The prime minister will host southeast Asian leaders in Sydney on March 17, but Rodrigo Duterte will not be among them.

"We would very much welcome his presence but he'd always indicated he was not going to attend. He's not an enthusiastic attender of international conferences," Mr Turnbull told a business summit on Wednesday.