The immigration minister has backed down on suggesting there is a trade-off underpinning the US refugee deal after drawing a slap down from his foreign minister.
Peter Dutton this week declared Australia would not accept refugees from Central America until America takes refugees from Manus Island and Nauru, despite the Turnbull government long denying the deals were linked.
Mr Dutton on Thursday walked away from his remarks, arguing he had made it "perfectly clear" the deal was not a people swap, despite saying two days earlier he had no problem with people using such language.
He described the response to his comments as "words games" and a "storm in a teacup" and insisted the two deals were separate.
"In the end, people can use whatever language they want - which is the point that I was making - I'm not going to get bogged down in nuance and discussion," he told Sydney's 2GB radio.
"I'm a pretty frank speaker, I've been clear that it's not a people swap; they're two separate arrangements but in the end what's most important to us is to get people off Nauru and Manus."
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Mr Dutton had clarified his comments, which now reflected her understanding of the deal.
"He's made it quite clear that we have a humanitarian and refugee program, it's quite separate from the agreement we've reached with the United States, and our officials are currently working with the United States in progressing that agreement," she told Sky News from Washington.
Ms Bishop said the US refugee deal had not come up in conversations with either Vice President Mike Pence or Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
"It's being honoured, it's being progressed by the officials, so it was not a matter that I raised with either the vice-president or the secretary and they didn't raise it with me."
Opposition immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann said the refugee deals were clear as mud.
He wants the government to release the written agreements in relation to Costa Rica and the US deal with Manus and Nauru.
"That way we can understand what it is. The government can clarify this and unequivocally release the documents," he said.
