Anzac Cabinets plan historic joint session

Prime Minister John Key and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will hold a historic joint Cabinet meeting in Sydney on Friday.

The two leaders are expected to have at least six Cabinet ministers each with them.

Seven New Zealand ministers will be in Sydney anyway for the joint annual meeting of the transtasman Leadership Forum - a meeting of public and private sector players with an interest in closer relations - which also coincides with the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday.

Several leaders visiting New Zealand in recent years have brought a swag of ministers with them and met the former Labour Cabinet in the Cabinet room.

But it is not the practice of the Australian or New Zealand Prime Ministers to travel with large groups of ministers so Friday's meeting on such a scale is a first.

"'This will be the first time such a large contingent of ministers from both sides of the Tasman have met as a group to discuss issues that both governments have a common interest in," Mr Key said. "It underlines the close partnership our countries have."

Mr Key said yesterday the issues on the agenda included Afghanistan, defence, trade harmonisation and science.

The Cabinets would issue a communique and a work programme at the end of it.

The Prime Minister leaves this afternoon. He will be in Melbourne tomorrow and Canberra on Thursday for formal talks.

His trip will also be marked by an announcement on Thursday of measures to streamline transtasman travel.

He said reports that border security and tax would be abolished were wrong, but travel would be "significantly streamlined".

Travelling the Tasman could be nearly as easy as domestic air travel by Christmas, he said.

The ministers attending the Leadership Forum are Finance Minister Bill English, Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee, Justice Minister Simon Power, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully, Trade Minister Tim Groser, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and Transport Minister Steven Joyce.