Australia and Papua New Guinea continue to contradict each other over the legal requirements of a recent Papua New Guinea (PNG) Supreme Court ruling on the detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island.

Key points: PNG's Supreme Court rules Australia's detention of asylum seekers on Manus illegal

PNG's Supreme Court rules Australia's detention of asylum seekers on Manus illegal Fred Sarufa says UN's court ruling meant the centre's closure

Fred Sarufa says UN's court ruling meant the centre's closure Dutton says court ruling does not mean the centre must shut

Dutton says court ruling does not mean the centre must shut PNG came under pressure at UN hearing over the detention centre

The court ruled Australia's detention of asylum seekers was illegal, and ordered the PNG and Australian governments to immediately take steps to end their detention.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 3 m PNG tells United Nations the Suprme Court ruling means Manus Island Centre must close Download 5.5 MB

Last Friday night, PNG's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Fred Sarufa told the United Nations the court ruling meant the centre would close.

He said PNG was working with Australia on the Manus processing centre "in the light of a recent Papua New Guinea Supreme Court decision to close the centre".

But Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Radio National the court ruling did not mean the centre must shut.

"The talks will continue for some time, I think they will probably go on for the next couple of months and they can deal with some of the legal issues," Mr Dutton said.

"But obviously the Supreme Court — as people now understand — had not ruled that Manus needed to close."

PNG came under pressure at the United Nations hearing over the detention centre and during the hearing Fiji's representative Nazhat Shameem Khan was critical.

"Fiji notes that the effect of this decision is that the detention of asylum seekers and refugees on Manus Island is illegal and unconstitutional and that the persons detained there must be released," she said.

Sweden's representative Josefin Broden also expressed concern.

"More than 900 asylum seekers and refugees are detained indefinitely in detention centres in Manus Island," she said.

"The conditions in these centres are poor and the prolonged and indefinite detention is a concern."

PNG must resettle men found to be refugees: Dutton

Mr Dutton told Radio National PNG must resettle men found to be refugees, citing the memorandum of understanding entered into by the former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd with the PNG Government "and our expectation is that that MOU will be honoured".

"Those people that have been found to be refugees under the MOU signed between Mr Rudd and the PM in PNG — the arrangement was for those refugees to be settled in PNG," Mr Dutton said.

AM understands the men on Manus Island are feeling anguish at the uncertainty over their future.

There is also evidence of deep resentment among staff at the company that runs the centre, Broad Spectrum, formerly known as Transfield.

AM has seen resignation letters from staff reporting bullying, a tripling of the workload, a misunderstanding of welfare, poor living conditions and derogatory treatment.

New staff are told to avoid contact with existing workers, who were referred to as flat batteries who could not be recharged.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the company was never the right fit to run the detention centres.