Speaking at the launch of the Monash University Malaysia’s future campus, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the growing partnership between Australia and Malaysia reflected Canberra’s broader ambition to expand education ties in Southeast Asia.

He said increasing Australia’s presence and investment in education in the region was a priority recommendation set out in a report he commissioned when he became prime minister in 2022.

Albanese said both Australia and Malaysia recognised the broader national benefits of education.

“We understand that giving people access to education isn’t just about assisting the individual,” he said.

“It’s about lifting up an entire nation and benefitting the economic, social, and indeed, environmental opportunities that come from education.”

Albanese said Malaysia, which hosts the campuses of four Australian universities, was one of Australia’s largest transnational education partners.

“And of course, Monash University Malaysia was the first (in 1998),” he said.

Noting that Monash’s presence in Malaysia represented a pioneering milestone for Australian international education, Albanese also highlighted the campus’s growing international community.

He said Monash University Malaysia’s enrolments reached a record high in 2024 with over 11,000 students from 85 countries.