The Australian Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Defence
and Trade tabled a report into Australia's Relationship with Malaysia in March
2007 .
The report noted the changing nature of Australia's
relationship with Malaysia - from
one of support in the early years of Malaysia's formation
to the present wide-ranging
and extensive collaboration across all fields .
Defence and Security Links
Australia's defence relationship with Malaysia dates back to well before
Malaysia's
independence in 1957, and reflects a common commitment to the security and
stability of the region . The relationship is based
on practical cooperation including the
Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program, an ongoing Australian
presence at the
Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base at Butterworth, and common
membership
of the Five Power Defence Arrangements .
In February 2005, DFAT
published a book entitled Australia and the Formation of
Malaysia 1961-1966, which documents Australia's support for the establishment of
Malaysia and defence of its territorial integrity .
Bilateral defence cooperation occurs through the Malaysia-Australia
Joint Defence
Program, which formally commenced in 1992 under this name (although
Australian
defence cooperation assistance to Malaysia dates back to 1964) . The program
includes
the training of Malaysian military personnel in
Australia, the attachment of Armed
Forces personnel from each country to the other, and
annual combined field exercises .
Australia is Malaysia's major source of external military training .
Formally established in 1971, the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA)
commits Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to consult on a response to
any armed attack or threat against Malaysia or Singapore
. The FPDA
provides a
valuable framework for conducting combined training
exercises . More recently, the
FPDA
has expanded its focus to address non-conventional security
threats facing the
region, including terrorism and maritime security .
Australia and Malaysia cooperate closely on a range of security issues, with
good
links between police and immigration agencies . In
August 2002, Australia and
Malaysia signed an MoU
on cooperation to combat international terrorism . Bilateral
agreements on mutual assistance in criminal matters, and extradition,
entered into
force on 28 December 2006 .
Education
Australian expertise in education and training
is highly regarded in Malaysia . Bilateral
links in this sector date back to the 1950s through the Colombo
Plan . Education for
Malaysian students has traditionally been provided at universities in
Australia, but
university twinning arrangements and Australian campuses in Malaysia now
allow
Malaysian students to undertake Australian courses in Malaysia . Three Australian
universities have campuses in Malaysia including Monash University, and in Sarawak
- Curtin University and Swinburne University of Technology .