Some impressions about relations with Singapore:
1. Australia has close bilateral strategic relations with Singapore - see here and here. Part of the relationship goes down to Singapore and Australia being non-Muslim countries in a rather Muslim (eg. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Philippines) region. See MAP below.
Australia also has vast, relatively nearby, sea, air and land space to train in - while Singapore Island is tiny.
"The Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) is an opportunity for Australia to build Defence capability and enhance its bilateral relationship with Singapore, while providing enduring economic benefits to Central and North Queensland [Australia]" see June 2020 Factsheet.
Singapore's Defence Minister (since 2011) Dr. Ng Eng Hen trained as a medical doctor but clearly has a technical and political grasp of military matters above most ASEAN Defence Ministers. In his 2016 speech https://youtu.be/pFwcX4HfgO4?t=6m47s he mentions the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in regards to Singapore's armed forces training in Australia's very large exercise areas.
2. Singapore has a logical, efficient weapons buying strategy and process. This can be correlated with Singapore's low level of corruption and minute size compared to occasionally threatening larger neighbours. In contrast some other regional countries (extending all the way to India) buy just a few weapons over excessively long (agonizingly slow) periods to maximise "commissions" across the board. While Australia is short on "commissions" promised private industry retirement positions (with substantial salary increases) suffice.
According to the reliable international Corruption Perceptions Index Singapore sits equal 4th (with Sweden and Switzerland) least corrupt internationally. This is behind NZ (1st), but better than Australia, UK, Canada (all equal 12th), US (23rd). Of some other ASEAN nations - Brunei (35th), Malaysia (51st), Indonesia (85th), Philippines (113th). India and China are joint 80th.
3. Australia and Singapore also interrelate due to common close bilateral relationships with the US (relationships even surviving the worldwide The 2016-2020 Trump Crisis - so far). See this prescient-still relevant Australian viewpoint.
4. Singapore's stable English speaking, pro-Western polity, British Commonwealth country, "close" to Israel, cutting edge (many weapons bought from US) military, sophisticated intelligence setup, shared threat from Islamic terrorism, all give Singapore a "Six Eye" status in relation to the Five Eyes alliance.
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MAP. Find tiny Singapore (island) just south of the tip of mainland Malaysia. (Map courtesy and see it much enlarged at geographicguide.com)
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