AUSTRALIAN Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed today that she has offered to cover Indonesia’s costs for keeping two heroin traffickers in prison for life if Jakarta grants a permanent stays of execution.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are among nine foreign drug convicts plus an Indonesian who are to be executed soon on Nusakambangan Island prison.

The offer to pay for the prisoners’ keep was contained in a letter to her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.

“We haven’t had a specific response to that suggestion,” said Ms Bishop, confirming that it was among several proposed alternatives to executions.

A Jakarta court adjourned an appeal hearing by the Australians until March 19 today because of a lack of proper paperwork.