A boat carrying suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted off Australia's north-west coast.
Authorities responded to a distress call and intercepted the boat at midnight Friday, about 150 kilometres south of Ashmore Island.
It is believed 83 passengers and four crew were on board.
The Federal Government says the suspected asylum seekers are being transferred to Christmas Island to undergo security and health checks.
The surveillance aircraft which spotted the boat believed it was in distress, but Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor said the people were found to be safe.
"The people on board the vessel are safe and have indicated that they wish to come to Australia," he said in a statement.
It is the second boat to be intercepted this week after a vessel carrying seven passengers was found in the same area on Monday.
A further 56 Afghanis trying to travel to Australia in a wooden boat were detained in Indonesia, a navy official said on Friday.
The Federal Opposition has now renewed calls for an inquiry into Australia's border protection laws.
Opposition spokeswoman for immigration Sharman Stone said the Federal Government has "clearly lost the battle to people smugglers".
The latest is the 30th boat that has been intercepted since the Government "went soft" on border protection last August, she said.
"For the sake of those risking their lives and to better protect Australia's orderly immigration program we must have a detailed analysis of what has gone wrong with Labor's strategy," she said in a statement.
"Again, I call for an urgent inquiry into the relationship between the Rudd Government's softened stance on border protection and the surge in people smuggling in Australia."
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