A P-8 Poseidon patrol and recon aircraft is being sent by Australia while the other nations are deploying warships and attached aircraft for the exercise, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Australia routinely joins allies such as the US in joint exercises and freedom of navigation patrols through the contested South China Sea.
"The activity will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other states," the four militaries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
"Our four nations reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute."
The international court ruled China's claim to the sea had no legal basis, which Beijing rejected.
There have been repeated clashes between Chinese and Filipino ships in the contested waters, including the Chinese coast guard using water cannons and barging vessels.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday accused the Philippines of "creating problems in the South China Sea".
"Certain individuals in the Philippines should stop seeing things in the wrong way and stop making the baseless accusations," she told a press briefing.
"There has been no problem with regard to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, any narrative that claims otherwise is simply false."
China's embassy in Canberra has been contacted for comment following the new exercise's announcement.
It came after Australia's defence and foreign ministers held high-level talks with their American counterparts and issued expressed concerns about China's "unsafe and unprofessional encounters" during freedom of navigation exercises.
A joint statement after the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation talks expressed "grave concern about China's dangerous and escalatory behaviour toward Philippine vessels lawfully operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone".
Just wrapped up meeting with — Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) @SenatorWong, @SecDef Austin and @SecBlinken. Critical discussions on how we can contribute to building a stable, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific at the 34th #AUSMIN today. pic.twitter.com/i22nOKzsq3August 6, 2024
It also "reiterated their strong opposition to destabilising or coercive unilateral actions in the maritime domain, including in the South China Sea and East China Sea, that increase tensions and undermine peace and stability".
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the more frequent rotation of bomber deployments and increased maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operating from northern Australia.
Defence Minister Richard Marles will also meet with Canadian counterpart Bill Blair during a two-day visit.
Australia on the same day drew a line in the sand over China's involvement in policing the Pacific.
Pacific Minister Pat Conroy used an address to a public policy think tank to ramp up pressure on China to be more transparent in the region as Beijing worked to increase its security presence through policing pacts with island nations.
Mr Conroy referred to Pacific nations rejecting a Chinese push for a regional security agreement in 2022.
"The region has also spelled out ... that the security of the Pacific is the shared responsibility of the Pacific family," he told the McKell Institute.
9°C