Six pregnant asylum seekers are among a group of detainees transferred from Manus Island to Australia for medical reasons, as new questions are raised about conditions at the offshore facility.
A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor confirmed 19 asylum seekers were transferred from Manus Island to Inverbrackie, in the Adelaide hills.
She said the group included six pregnant women whose partners and their children also accompanied them. A girl was also transferred for an appointment with a medical specialist.
It is unclear what will happen to the pregnant women after they have delivered their babies.
Mr O'Connor's spokeswoman said she could not answer that ''but they remain liable to be taken back to Manus or Nauru''.
The confirmation prompted fresh calls from the Greens to shut down the Manus Island detention facility.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said detainees were suffering mental health issues and the Manus Island centre was ''a horror show''.
''It's not saving lives; it's not even stopping boats. It's harming people, including refugee children,'' she said.
The demand comes amid uncertainty over the reasons for a pause in the transfer of asylum seekers to Manus Island.
A Department of Immigration and Citizenship spokeswoman confirmed the most recent transfer of asylum seekers to the island occurred on February 9, nearly five weeks ago.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison challenged Mr O'Connor's earlier denial that there had been an ''indefinite suspension'' of transfers.
Mr Morrison said he had checked the facts with the chief migration officer of the Papua New Guinea Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority, who advised him that the suspension was in place for transfers of asylum seekers to Manus Island.
Mr O'Connor said the Australian government would continue to work with the PNG government, which ultimately had responsibility for agreeing or rejecting individual requests to transfer detainees to Manus Island.
''It is the host country and, indeed, the primary government making decisions in relation to these transferees,'' Mr O'Connor told Parliament on Wednesday.
''I can assure you of this: we will continue to transfer people in consultation with and, ultimately, by the authority of the PNG government to ensure that there are fewer opportunities for and chances of people endangering their lives at sea.''
Fairfax Media is seeking details from the government about any transfer requests rejected by the PNG government.
Mr Morrison ramped up his attack on Friday, pointing to figures showing people were being transferred to Manus Island regularly until February 9.
''Transfers occurring on pretty much a weekly basis, then all of a sudden they stop and this minister is trying to claim transfers have not been suspended,'' he told reporters in Sydney.
The Gillard government, meanwhile, confirmed authorities had intercepted an asylum seeker boat carrying 65 people north of Christmas Island on Thursday.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said Border Protection Command had transferred the passengers to Australian authorities on Christmas Island, where they would undergo initial security, health and identity checks and their reasons for travel would be established.
''People arriving by boat without a visa after 13 August 2012 run the risk of transfer to a regional processing country,'' he said.
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