Gillard drags feet on apple promise

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard hasn't kept her promise to eat a New Zealand apple.

She made a bet with Prime Minister John Key during the Rugby World Cup that she would if the All Blacks beat the Wallabies, and Mr Key was going to eat an Australian apple if the Wallabies won.

The All Blacks won but Ms Gillard hasn't honoured the bet - not yet, anyway.

Mr Key is giving her a way out.

"They're out of season at the moment, they'll come back in March and I'm hopeful she'll chomp her way through a great New Zealand apple," he said on Newstalk ZB on Monday after returning from talks with Ms Gillard in Melbourne.

It's a tricky situation for Ms Gillard.

New Zealand last year won a 90-year battle to export apples to Australia after taking a case to the World Trade Organisation.

Despite that, Tasmania is still refusing to accept New Zealand apples - the row was over whether they carry the disease fire blight - and New Zealand growers want the government to seek another ruling from the WTO.

Mr Key says he's reluctant to go down that track.