Sri Lankan president visits Australia

The issue of people smugglers will be among the topics of discussion during a three-day visit to Australia by Sri Lanka's president.

Maithripala Sirisena is due to arrive on Wednesday and will spend time in Sydney and Canberra.

It's the first time a Sri Lankan head of state has made an official visit to Australia.

It follows Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit in February, in a year marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

"Our deep and enduring friendship is anchored in shared history as commonwealth countries and through our shared interests as Indian Ocean nations," Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement.

The prime minister said the visit would be an opportunity to advance key areas of bilateral co-operation, including education, defence, science, technology, economic development, and the fight against people smuggling.