Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called on the newly elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena for his continued cooperation in tackling asylum seekers fleeing the island, in a congratulatory phone call on Saturday.

Abbott's office said that he had emphasised  Australia and Sri Lanka’s “continuing cooperation” on people smuggling, as well as praising outgoing president Mahinda Rajapaksa's “positive role in supporting a peaceful transition of power.”

In the run up to the election, Phil Lynch from the  International Service for Human Rights had earlier criticised Australia's "misguided approach to 'stopping the boats', which actually involved close cooperation with alleged war criminals".

His comments were echoed by Amnesty International's deputy Asia Pacific director David Griffiths who said,

“The lack of accountability for past human rights violations has been the tragic norm in Sri Lanka over the past decade... Tens of thousands of victims and family members are still waiting for the justice they deserve and the new administration must work to deliver it.”

Meanwhile the opposition spokesperson for foreign affairs, Tanya Plibersek, congratulated Sri Lanka for a “peaceful and credible” election and paid tribute to the two countries' “robust relationship”. “Labor continues to support reconciliation for the people of Sri Lanka,” added Plibersek.