Robert Carmichael in Phnom Penh
Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong says his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop has asked the impoverished Southeast Asian nation to take in some of Australia's refugees.
Mr Bishop has completed her visit to Cambodia as part of a regional tour of ASEAN nations.
Mr Hor Namhong said Ms Bishop discussed the issue of asylum seekers with Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen during a bilateral meeting on Saturday.
"The Australian minister has proposed that Cambodia receive some refugees from Australia," Mr Hor Namhong said during a press conference with Ms Bishop.
"We talked a bit on the issue just now. In the past, there have been Cambodians going out as refugees to different countries.
"Now perhaps it is time for Cambodia to receive refugees back to Cambodia."
Mr Hor Namhong said the Cambodian government would consider Australia's request "very seriously".
The Australian Government - which took a tough stance on asylum seekers in its successful election campaign last year - is yet to comment on Ms Bishop's apparent request.
Ms Bishop did not refer specifically to the issue during the press conference, and did not reply when asked about it as she left the briefing.
The ABC has contacted Ms Bishop's office for clarification on the matter.
In a press statement released late on Saturday, the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh skirted the issue.
"The foreign ministers discussed the challenges to the region of people smuggling and drug trafficking, including our close cooperation under the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, as well as joint operations conducted under our 2002 bilateral Memorandum of Understanding," the Australian embassy's statement said.
The Bali Process is an international initiative to counter cross-border crimes.
"There has been a significant level of cooperation between relevant agencies on people smuggling matters, and we will continue to work through the Bali Process to manage processing of illegal maritime arrivals and returns," the statement said.
The Australian Government has offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea for asylum seekers intercepted while trying to arrive in Australia by boat.
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