Nauruan president makes secretive trip to parliament amid claims bikies won lucrative contract

Nauru's president has made a secretive visit to Parliament House in Canberra, less than two weeks after the first members of the so-called NZYQ cohort were quietly sent to the Pacific Island nation.

The clandestine trip also comes in the wake of reporting by Nine newspapers that bikie gangs won a lucrative contract to provide security for former immigration detainees.

David Adeang arrived at the Senate entrance of Parliament House just before 3pm today for a visit that had not been publicly announced by either government.

The president declined to answer any questions from the ABC on his way into the building to meet with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

Mr Adeang departed just a half hour later, and again took no questions.

A car with a Nauruan flag was spotted outside parliament yesterday, and it is understood Mr Adeang had been in parliament to visit Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy.

Mr Adeang also attended a Pacific Security College dinner last night.

A spokesperson for Senator Wong denied his visit was deliberately kept secret, saying Mr Adeang had attended public events.

"Representatives from Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati and Nauru are in Australia participating in a leadership program hosted by the Pacific Security College," the spokesperson said.

"The foreign minister addressed a reception for Pacific representatives at Parliament House last night."

Senator Wong's office confirmed that the foreign minister "took the opportunity to meet with President Adeang separately" while he was in Australia, and "raised recent media reports" about the bikie gangs.

After the ABC revealed Mr Adeang's visit, Mr Burke confirmed a meeting on social media.

"I had a productive meeting with Nauru's President Adeang today in Canberra — the relationship between our countries is critical on a range of issues," he wrote.

Coalition, Greens slam secret meeting

Civil society groups, the Coalition and the Greens have all slammed the government's dealings with Nauru and its agreement to resettle the NZYQ cohort, accusing Labor of secrecy.

Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Wallace told ABC Afternoon Briefing it was unacceptable that the meeting was not foreshadowed.

"There must be transparency and transparency is something that this government is totally devoid of," Mr Wallace said.

"The fact that the Nauru president is here in Australia without either country, either government providing any information as to what the basis of the meeting is should be a cause of great concern for Australians."

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the government should explain why the high-level visit had not been made public, and repeated her concerns about the secretive deal with Nauru.

"This government does have a growing problem with secrecy, a growing problem with transparency. They seem to be allergic to transparency and openness," she said.

"Australia has obligations to people who come here seeking safety and protection, [but is] using Nauru as a prison island and thinking we can just pay to dump people there.

"It's pretty barbaric."

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam demanded the government explain the unannounced visit.

"It is bizarre to have a head of state from one of our closest neighbours visit without any prior notice or proper diplomatic protocol. The prime minister needs to explain why he didn't want Australians to know about this meeting," Senator Duniam said in a statement.

"After months of secrecy, this unannounced meeting raises questions about whether there may already be problems with the 30-year, multi-billion dollar secretive agreement that was recently struck with the Nauruan government to resettle members of the dangerous NZYQ cohort."

The first member of the NZYQ cohort was quietly deported to Nauru late last month, marking the beginning of a plan to deport hundreds of convicted criminals to the tiny Pacific island.

Australia agreed to pay Nauru $408 million upon the arrival of the first deportee, with an additional yearly sum of up to $70 million to be paid for the next 30 years, depending on how many people have been transferred.

Whistleblowers have alleged to Nine newspapers that the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang has infiltrated the operation, winning a key taxpayer-funded contract to provide security on Nauru to former detainees.

The prime minister claimed on Monday when asked whether the government would examine the Nauruan contracts that the issue pre-dated his government.

"The minister will respond to that, but I note that those issues, as I read them, come from a period before we were in government," he said.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's head of advocacy Ogy Simic said secrecy had been at the "heart of the offshore processing regime".

"When the Australian government is sneaking in a foreign president into the halls of Parliament House, people deserve to know what is being talked about and what is going on," he said.