Dili – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today said he'd discussed the 1975 deaths of five Australian-based journalists in East Timor with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

NSW Deputy Coroner Dorelle Pinch last month found the Balibo Five were deliberately killed by Indonesian troops to cover up the invasion of East Timor.

At the time, Mr Rudd committed a Labor government to referring the deaths to the attorney-general for prosecution. He also backed moves to develop a national industry-wide safety code for journalists and to arrange for repatriation of the bodies of the five.

The prime minister was asked in East Timor today if he'd used a meeting with Dr Yudhoyono during climate talks in Bali this week to discuss the matter.

"Yes, I did raise those matters in the discussion I had with President Yudhoyono," Mr Rudd told reporters in the capital, Dili. We had a general discussion on it, and I also referred to the fact that the independent legal processes in Australia still had their own way to work through and these were independent of the executive arm of government and that they should proceed as they would normally to do."

Indonesia had always insisted the Balibo five were killed in crossfire in the border town of Balibo during its invasion of East Timor. It considers the case closed.