KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Australia celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relation this year, marking a milestone of an enduring partnership of strategic depth and regional significance.
Over the decades, the relations have evolved into a comprehensive partnership covering multiple sectors, with a shared commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
And at the heart of the partnership is robust defence cooperation, embodied by the Malaysian Australian Joint Defence Programme, which continues to define their bilateral relationship.
National Defence University of Malaysia's (UPNM) Faculty of Defence Studies and Management, Senior Lecturer Dr Tharishini Krishnan, said Australia's armed forces played a pivotal role in supporting Malaysia's defence and security development during its early years, particularly through sustained defence engagement during critical periods such as the Malayan Emergency and "Konfrontasi".
"These operations laid the foundation for enduring defence cooperation under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) after 1971," she told Bernama.
She said that the Malaysia-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), established in 2021, enhances coordination in maritime security, counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), complementing FPDA exercises such as Bersama Shield and Bersama Gold.
"It provides a framework to future-proof bilateral defence cooperation, including efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and joint readiness for regional crises," she said.
In the area of regional security, Tharishini said that both nations are seen as reliable partners through joint FPDA exercises, maritime domain awareness initiatives, and counter-piracy patrols, particularly in the Strait of Malacca.
She said military joint exercises such as Exercise Suman Warrior and Bersama Lima continue to demonstrate operational interoperability and capacity for joint responses to both traditional and non-traditional security threats.
On strategic alignment, she said Malaysia and Australia share broadly aligned Indo-Pacific visions that emphasise Asean centrality, freedom of navigation, and a stable, rules-based regional order.
"This alignment is increasingly visible in joint FPDA modernisation, CSP-driven cooperation, and maritime security initiatives.
"As great-power rivalry intensifies, this strategic convergence will become more critical in safeguarding regional security without provoking unnecessary escalation," she said.
Meanwhile, International Islamic University Malaysia's (IIUM) Institute of Internationalisation and Asean Studies (IINTAS) Director, Professor Dr Phar Kim Beng, said the FPDA remains relevant precisely because of its flexibility, allowing member countries like New Zealand to take more practical measures when others remain quiet.
"When Malaysia reciprocates such engagement with New Zealand, it signals its readiness to do the same with the UK, Australia, and in turn, Singapore," he said.
He added that the FPDA thus serves as a mechanism for indirect collective enhancement in a world increasingly dominated by both traditional and non-traditional security threats.
Commenting on future economic collaboration between Malaysia and Australia, Phar highlighted the importance of leveraging multilateral frameworks.
He noted that both countries are members of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
"These platforms can serve as key avenues to enhance bilateral economic relations in the coming years," he said to Bernama.
On people-to-people ties, Phar stressed the need for both governments to be proactive in engaging alumni networks and strengthening educational linkages.
He said both governments, through their foreign ministries or embassies, should encourage a higher and more purposeful form of strategic engagement.
Phar suggested Australia could assist Malaysia's 10-year plan to acquire civilian nuclear energy, despite not being a nuclear power itself, by leveraging its connections.
Relations between Malaysia and Australia predate the independence of Malaya in 1957, where Australia established a Commission in Kuala Lumpur in 1955 and the then Malaya opened a commission in Canberra in 1956.
The 70th anniversary milestone also coincides with Malaysia's Asean chairmanship this year.
Australia established formal relations with ASEAN in 1974, becoming the bloc's first dialogue partner. In 2021, both sides elevated the relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. – Bernama.
