Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On Wednesday, 16 September, we will join with our Malaysian friends in commemorating Malaysia Day. On behalf of the Australian parliament, I convey the best wishes of the Australian people on this significant national day to His Excellency Dato' Zainal Abidin Ahmad, the High Commissioner of Malaysia, and Mr Zamani Ismail, the Deputy High Commissioner, based at the High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra. I would like to compliment Malaysia on its adept leadership this year, including as chair of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit and in representing the region on the United Nations Security Council.

Australian and Malaysia share a history of strong diplomatic relations dating back several decades in terms of economic, social, defence, and cultural ties. Australia's enduring friendship with Malaysia goes back a long way. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Australia's diplomatic presence in Kuala Lumpur. The cooperative international relationship between our two nations has grown and matured dramatically over the past 60 years, from one of support in the early years of Malaysia's federation to one of close collaboration and comprehensive partnership today. Defence cooperation is the bedrock of this relationship. As the member for Cowan noted, our defence forces stood together through tough times and crises, including the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesian confrontation. The Five Power Defence Arrangement represents a regional security initiative that has been in place for almost 40 years. It involves joint military exercises among Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Our broader security partnership extends to combatting non-traditional security threats, including terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime and people smuggling. Today, our defence relationship is one of the closest and deepest in Asia.

Malaysia is Australia's eighth largest trading partner. The Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which has been in force since 2013, further integrates the Australian economy into the fast-growing Asian region. The Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement is an important part of the network of free trade agreements in the region.

The Australia Malaysia Business Council aims to foster, support and promote business, investment and cultural support between Australia and Malaysia. There are some 200 industrial and technological parks in Malaysia ready to do business with Australian firms. The AMBC, with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Trade Commission, regularly commissions research and analysis of business, trade and investment conditions to facilitate international trade and investment between our countries.

Malaysia and Australia also share close links in the field of higher education between our universities, with more than 300,000 Malaysian students having studied in Australia since the original Colombo Plan. When I was a student at Curtin University we had an active Malaysian students association on campus. The future holds great opportunities for international academic exchanges and collaboration between universities on research and development. Edith Cowan University in my electorate of Moore is actively seeking international partnerships.

The New Colombo Plan will support 272 Australian undergraduate students to live, study and undertake work placements in Malaysia in 2016. These students will study a broad range of subjects including architecture, engineering, business management, education, accounting and medical studies at various institutions and gain experience of Malaysian workplaces through internships and mentorships. These students will return to Australia with new insights and understanding about Malaysia and new friendships that will last a lifetime.

The ties between Australia and Malaysia are set to expand even further as we work together to open up new opportunities for trade and investment. Australia and Malaysia are natural partners. We live in the same region. We have complementary economies. We share a stake in the region's security and prosperity. Australia looks forward to supporting a closer partnership between our countries into the future.

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