Australia has sent the first group of asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea as part of its policy of processing them offshore.
The ABC reports 19 Sri Lankans and Iranians were flown from Christmas Island to Manus Island in PNG on Tuesday night.
The group comprised seven families, including women and four children.
The ABC reports more than 7500 asylum seekers have arrived by boat since mid-August when the Government announced it would reopen the detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru.
The Opposition says more than 30,000 asylum seekers have arrived on boats since Labor was elected in 2007.
