Bishop expects US to honour asylum deal

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expects the Trump administration will honour the asylum-seeker deal struck with Barack Obama.

Immigration department secretary Michael Pezzullo in recent weeks has engaged in high-level meetings in America with figures connected to Donald Trump, Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday.

There are concerns the president-elect would tear up an agreement to take an undisclosed number of refugees from Manus Island and Nauru once he is inaugurated in January.

Ms Bishop said the government was dealing with one US administration at a time, but was positive about the deal standing up.

"We are dealing with the Obama administration because President Obama has full executive and constitutional authority until about midday on January 20 and our agreement is with the Obama administration," she told reporters in Canberra.

"We have every expectation that an incoming administration would honour the agreement that was reached."

The Australian government was "reaching out" to members of the incoming administration ahead of holding formal talks next year.