Dili – East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta said Wednesday he was waiting for the new Australian government to be installed before talks about a regional refugee centre could "re-open."

With Australia heading to the polls on August 21 and Prime Minister Julia Gillard facing a neck-and-neck race with the opposition, Ramos-Horta indicated that any plan for a regional processing centre in East Timor was on hold.

"We'll wait. If the new government in Australia wants to re-open the dialogue, my position as president and the government's still stands. We're ready to talk because I believe this is a humanity issue," he told reporters.

"Timor-Leste cannot avoid or reject people who have fled wars but Timor-Leste is not giving an answer or green light yet," he added, using his country's formal name.

East Timor is not seeking any "benefits" in return for hosting the proposed centre for asylum seekers who reach Australia by boat, usually with the help of Indonesian people smugglers, he said. "On this matter, we've never looked for benefits. It's about our conscience," he said.

Shortly after ousting Kevin Rudd as prime minister in a party coup, Gillard revealed surprise plans to ship asylum-seekers to impoverished East Timor rather than process them in Australia, where detention centres are overflowing.

The ploy was seen as a bid to strengthen her immigration and border security credentials ahead of the election, in which she is facing a tough battle against the conservative opposition which has pledged to "stop the boats".

But the offshore processing plan has made little progress since her announcement, with East Timorese lawmakers and senior government officials expressing strong opposition despite Ramos-Horta's willingness to negotiate with Canberra.

Ramos-Horta said further discussions were needed with Australia and the international community. "There are many questions and conditions that must be answered by Australia and the international community because this is not a simple matter," he said.