As of August 2007, 19,369 Malaysian students were enrolled in Australian education
institutions onshore, making Malaysia Australia's fourth-largest source for
international students . The offshore provision of education is also growing in
importance with more than 15,000 students at Australian higher education institutions
in Malaysia.
Migration/Tourism
The 2001 census showed 78,850 Malaysian-born people lived in Australia, an
increase of
three per cent from the 1996 census .
Malaysia recorded 277,125 Australian visitors in 2006, while there were 157,600
short-term visitor arrivals from Malaysia to Australia for the year to 31 August 2007,
making it our second-largest source of visitors from South-East Asia .
An
air services agreement is in place between Australia and Malaysia .
Other Areas of Cooperation
The Australia-Malaysia Institute was established by the Australian Government in
April 2005 to strengthen people-to-people and institutional links with Malaysia, and
to deepen mutual understanding and cooperation.
The Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC) and the Australia Malaysia
Business Council (AMBC) are important coordinating bodies for commercial
linkages, and conduct regular dialogue with both governments, including through
participation in the Joint Trade Committee meetings . They are an important source of
information and advice for businesses active in Australia and Malaysia and play an
important role in promoting strong networks in the respective private sectors .
The Malaysian Australian Alumni Council (MAAC) is a national organisation for
Malaysian alumni associations of Australian universities . The MAAC
spearheads the
Malaysia Australia Colombo Plan Commemoration Scholarship initiative, which
provides for a two-way exchange of scholars between Australia and Malaysia to
undertake their tertiary education at institutions of higher learning in both countries .
Australia-Malaysia Economic and Trade Relations
In terms of two-way goods and services trade, Malaysia is Australia's third-largest
trading partner in ASEAN and eleventh-largest partner overall with total trade in
2006-07 worth $11 .9 billion (3 .4 per cent share of Australia's total trade) . In 2006-07,
total merchandise trade between Australia and Malaysia was $9 .7 billion (Australian
exports were $3 .1 billion and imports $6 .6 billion) . Total two-way services trade in
2006-07 was $2 .2 billion (Australian exports of $1 .24 billion; imports of $936
million) .
Major merchandise exports from Australia to Malaysia include copper, aluminium,
coal, ferrous waste and scrap, milk and cream, medicaments (including veterinary),
zinc, food and live animals, chemicals and related products, and refined petroleum .
Australia is a major provider of education services to Malaysia . Major Malaysian