PNG to boot out Aussie advisers

Papua New Guinea will boot out Australian officials working for its government by the end of the year.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has told the PNG parliament he is concerned about foreign advisers spying while their presence caused local public servants to slack off.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that it was aware of the comments and would be discussing the issue with the PNG government.

"We regularly discuss with PNG concerns that they have with our support and how we can achieve the most effective development outcomes through our aid program," a spokeswoman said.

Australia has 34 public servants on secondment to the PNG government as well as more than 100 technical advisers helping national and provincial governments.

Parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs Steve Ciobo said the decision had taken the government by surprise.

"We didn't know about it in advance but we are continuing to discuss with PNG what it is Prime Minister O'Neill is seeking in relation to equipping and training the public service in PNG," he told Sky News.

Mr Ciobo denied it was a sign of a strained relationship between Australia and PNG, as the move would impact on all foreign advisers, not just Australians.