In 2025, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong announced an enhanced bilateral development program with Malaysia.
The Australia-Malaysia Kerjasama Program (AMKP) is a four-year bilateral development cooperation program to promote inclusive economic growth, strengthen governance and resilience, and enhance social protection and gender equality in Malaysia.
AMKP aims to support Malaysia’s ambition of becoming a high-income country by 2030 while improving quality of life and well-being of its citizens, in line with the 13th Malaysia Plan, including by:
- providing expert economic advice to help Malaysia strengthen its tax system and revenue policies
- supporting Malaysia to modernise its social protection system using better data, digital tools and targeted assistance
- helping Malaysia to improve access to quality care by producing new evidence and supporting reforms in childcare, eldercare and the care workforce
- providing analysis to help Malaysia increase women’s participation in the workforce
- supporting institutional reforms such as freedom of information laws, an ombudsman, and a more modern, digitally capable parliament
Strategic Partners
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through the Australian High Commission in Malaysia, are partnering with organisations and think tanks to contribute to various policy priorities to support Malaysia’s growth and prosperity. A snapshot of our strategic partnerships include:
Oragnisation |
Reforms |
|---|---|
| The World Bank |
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| United Nations Development Programme |
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| World Health Organization |
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| Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) |
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| Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) |
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Civil Society Partners
Australia has launched the Australia-Malaysia Kerjasama Civil Society Organisations Grants Round on 15 October 2026 to strengthen the impact of our bilateral program. The initiative reflects Australia's view that policy change is achieved when government implementation is informed by grassroots voices, lived experiences, and diverse perspectives across Malaysia.
We are allocating over A$1 million across 3 years to support initiatives aligned with AMKP's priorities.
To apply, visit Australia-Malaysia Kerjasama CSO Grants Round 2026/2027.
