An Australian search aircraft spotted two objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be related to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Thursday.

Abbott told Parliament on Thursday afternoon that he had spoken to Malaysia's prime minister about the objects, which were spotted off the coast of Perth.

Abbott said more analysis was needed before it could be determined whether the objects were, indeed, from Flight 370, but he characterized the discovery as "new and credible information."

"The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has received information based on satellite imagery of objects possibly related to the search" for the Beijing-bound plane, which disappeared March 8 after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur, Abbott said.

A P-3 Orion aircraft has been diverted to try to get a closer look at the objects, which Abbott called "extremely difficult" to isolate in the vast ocean.

VIA NBC