Australian Business in ASEAN Survey 2025
Dr. Kenji Kong Weng Keat, chair of the Johor Chapter of the Malaysia Australia Business
Council (MABC) says that, according to the preliminary analysis of the Australian
Business in Southeast Asia Survey for 2025, 70% of Southeast Asia respondents are likely
to consider the integration of the ASEAN economy as vital to their businesses in the
region. Dr. Kong showed and provided opinions on the survey conducted by AustCham,
in collaboration with RMIT with the support of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade. He states that over 30% of the survey respondents expect revenues from
Asean to grow significantly by more than 10% every year for the next 5 years.
PROMOTING INTANGIBLES TRADE: A REGULATORY PERSPECTIVE
Malaysia and Australia have developed one of the Indo-Pacific region’s most
comprehensive bilateral economic relationships, evolving from a traditional
goods-focused trading partnership into a sophisticated platform for intangible
trade and services-led foreign direct investment (FDI). This evolution was
formally recognised with the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive
Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2021, which explicitly prioritises cooperation in
economic prosperity, digital technology, education and knowledge-based
industries.
Given the time I’ve been allocated, I’d like to address just a few key areas that I
believe are essential to the promotion of intangible trade and investments
between our 2 countries.
Business Resilience and Recovery Outlook Amid Current Trade Disruptions
This white paper presents key insights from a targeted survey of MABC Members across services,
manufacturing, logistics, and trading sectors. The objective was to assess the impact of ongoing trade
and economic disruptions on cash flow, operational continuity, and business confidence.
The findings point to a business landscape defined by cautious optimism and underlying resilience, but
with emerging pockets of vulnerability.
Key highlights include:
- 64% of businesses report minor to no cash flow impact
- 42.86% are fully meeting contractual obligations
- 64% express high to very high confidence in recovery
- 50% expect a gradual recovery over the next 6–12 months
THE NEW STAMPING GROUND
From 1 January 2026 Malaysia’s stamp duty regime moved from authority-led assessments to a
taxpayer-led self-assessment model with a phased implementation (the Stamp Duty Self-Assessment
System (SDSAS)), stronger audit powers and significantly higher penalties.
The amendments to the Stamp Act 1949, enacted through recent fiscal legislation, mark a deliberate
transfer of responsibility from the Collector to the taxpayer. Under the SDSAS, those who execute
chargeable instruments must upload the documents, complete an electronic return and pay the duty
through the MyTax/e-DS portal. The act of submission is treated as an assessment in the first instance.