Up to 200 asylum seekers could end up being transferred to the remote West Australian gold mining town of Leonora, the federal government says, where they will temporarily assimilate into the community.
Two planeloads of asylum seekers arrived at Leonora, 235km north of Kalgoorlie, this afternoon, transferring 86 people from Christmas Island.
The arrivals include 21 families from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iran. However, Immigration Minister Chris Evans said if all went well, the number of asylum seekers residing at the disused mining camp could be as high as 200.
"Depending on how things pan out, how the facility is developed, how people cope there and quite frankly how welcoming the town is," Senator Evans said in Perth on Monday.
"At the moment things are looking very positive and if things go well we might add to the numbers."
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Senator Evans said that the transfer of people from Christmas Island to the Australian mainland was not a guarantee that all detainees would be granted asylum, reiterating they would still have to be properly processed.
"I make clear each will have their asylum claims assessed against the refugee convention ... those who aren't found to (be) refugees will be returned to their country of origin."
The federal government will encourage children of the families to enrol at the local schools and will provide extra teachers and education.
The site, which will be guarded by security, has undergone renovations throughout the week with 30 to 40 demountable homes being brought in.
Each demountable reportedly has a bar fridge and an en suite while a swimming pool on the site has been cleaned out for use by the asylum seekers.
Senator Evans said the accommodation would only be temporary, with the asylum seekers ideally only staying for three to six months.
He said the combination of different ethnicities at the site was not an issue and rejected the possibility it could trigger violence.
Leonora Shire President Jeffery Carter has said the community had no issues with the asylum seekers staying in the town and hoped they would eventually assimilate.
Mr Carter said as the asylum seekers settled in and local residents accepted them, they could start using the town's recreation centre.
Although the accommodation was neither "five-star or ideal", Mr Evans said it was comfortable and safe for families and would enable them to interact with the Leonora community.
