Australia will pay its fair share in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, Treasurer Joe Hockey says.
The Malaysian government has revealed it has spent a fraction of what Australia has put towards the search for missing flight MH370, which is expected to be the most expensive in aviation history.
Officials from Malaysia are expected in Canberra on Tuesday for talks, including discussions around funding for the operation.
But Mr Hockey says Australia won't try to avoid picking up the tab.
"It is understood that the plane went down in waters that are our responsibility, and there is a cost to having responsibility and we don't shirk that," he told reporters on Tuesday morning.
"We accept responsibility and will pay for it.
"We're not a country that begs others for money to do our job."
The Australian government has set aside almost $90 million for the search but it's possible that figure could increase.
The head of the joint task force charged with finding MH370, Angus Houston, said on Tuesday discussions around the next phase of the search would include negotiations with Malaysia over the cost of the search.
"The government has allocated $89.9 million. I think about $25 million of that is to go to the defence force for the visual search they conducted," former defence force chief Air Chief Marshal Houston told the ABC.
"There's another $60 million that's been allocated for the underwater search."
"That money has been allocated but we're still to crunch, or still to negotiate the burden-sharing with, for example, Malaysia."
Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has confirmed his government had spent 27.6 million ringgit ($A9.30 million) in fuel and food for equipment and personnel in the search.
"The cost that we had to bear is relatively small compared to the other assets given by other countries used in the search," Mr Hishammuddin said.
"I am proud that many of our friends have come forward to help in the search, and they bear their own expenses and have not made any claims from us."
More than three months have passed since the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard - including six Australians.
The plane is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean but an extensive search has turned up no sign of wreckage.
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