Feds keeping quiet on Yang Hengjun support

Australian officials have been in contact with detained Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun within the last month, his lawyers say.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed consular contact was being maintained but said there was nothing to be gained for Dr Hengjun by commenting publicly on the matter.

"Our foreign affairs diplomats and officials have a lot of experience working on these issues and, as I say, they're best addressed through those channels and we continue to do that," he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.