Latest G20 stories

Australia suffers another G20 moment

Robyn Dixon For Australians it's not so bad - most of the time - to be so far away, so overlooked, so seemingly insignificant as to almost never factor in major international news.

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Hollande raises spectre of climate conflict

French President Francois Hollande said failure to address global warming could lead to war, and called on G20 countries to act ahead of a climate change conference in Paris next year.

G20 united on tax , trade, banks and Ebola

MARK KENNY Leaders from the world's twenty largest economies have committed to historic levels of cooperation and transparency in a bid to dramatically raise growth, lift millions of people out of poverty, and propel up to 100 million women into the worldwide workforce for the first time.

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'Trench warfare': Climate change in G20 communique

TOM ALLARD The final G20 communique includes a significant passage on climate change after "difficult discussions" among leaders on Sunday, and despite an impassioned defence of coal and fossil fuel industry by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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Tighter controls to curb terror funding

NASSIM KHADEM A plan to stop the supply of money to terrorist groups such as Islamic State has been backed by the G20 governments.

Putin leaves G20 to catch up on sleep

LATIKA BOURKE Vladimir Putin has left the G20 summit citing a need to catch up on sleep, after the Kremlin played down reports the Russian President was leaving due to the frosty reception awarded to him by other world leaders over Ukraine.

G20: what's on the table?

Staff reporters Issues on the minds of the world's most powerful leaders.

Climate no impediment to growth: Hockey

LATIKA BOURKE Climate change is not an impediment to economic growth, Australia's Treasurer Joe Hockey said on Sunday.

Obama warning on defence, climate change

MARK KENNY The President had strong words for potential aggressor states such as China, Russia, and North Korea, and said all nations had a responsibility to act on climate change.

G20 finance ministers exceed expectations

PETER MARTIN The G20 finance ministers meeting in Brisbane has endorsed plans for boosting the global economy that go well beyond their earlier of 2 per cent by 2019.

Climate change goes on G20 agenda

AMY REMEIKIS It may not be the heat leaving Australia's leaders red-faced.

Hockey pledges action on 'patent boxes'

PETER MARTIN Treasurer singles out for special attention action on so-called "patent boxes" where companies pay much lower tax on the portion of their income they say derives from intellectual property.

Abbott lament: failure to pass tax on GP visits

LATIKA BOURKE PM expresses his frustrations to world leaders at his inability to impose a $7 fee on GP visits and blamed voters who love free Government programs for supporting wasteful spending.

G20 Brisbane Live: November 15

JUDITH IRELAND G20! It is here, in all its barricaded glory. For this weekend, Brisbane is the centre of the universe. World leaders have come to talk growth and resilience. And they are not leaving without a communique.

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The leaders and their agendas

INTERACTIVE: A quick snapshot of the various leaders' agendas at the Brisbane G20 summit.

New energy body mooted

LATIKA BOURKE Global leaders meeting in Brisbane are set to lay the foundations for a new body that would govern the "affordable and reliable" delivery of energy to the world.

US fund puts pressure on Australia

Nick O’Malley The surprise revelation that the United States would contribute $US3 billion to a global climate change fund appears to have been designed to increase pressure on Australia to take the issue more seriously, says a board member of the fund.

Abbott denies Plibersek G20 access

LATIKA BOURKE Prime Minister Tony Abbott has denied Labor's Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek permission to attend the G20 in Brisbane, despite his plea for the opposition to get behind "Team Australia".

US pledges $2.5b to fight climate change

AMY REMEIKIS The United States has pledged $2.5 billion to help poor countries combat climate change, just days after signing a "game changing" deal with China to cut its carbon emissions by almost a third by 2030.

Infrastructure 'hub' a G20 legacy for Sydney

MATT WADE World leaders are set to gift Sydney a lasting legacy from the G20 when they endorse the city as the host of a new global infrastructure hub.

Plan to make banking giants more resilient

CLANCY YEATES Preventing taxpayer-funded rescues of the world's biggest banks will be one of the top priorities for global leaders meeting in Brisbane this weekend.

We don't need another growth target

William Pesek Fact is, the G20 will struggle to meet current growth hopes, let alone elevated ones. Rather than obsessing over a nonsense target, Mr Abbott should be focused on making investments at home that will raise productivity and fuel innovation.

Cameron's surprise shirt-front moment

JUDITH IRELAND Prime Minister Tony Abbott could be forgiven for hoping that it was only Australia that had been paying attention to the potential showdown.

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Wipe IS web propaganda, urges Cameron

LATIKA BOURKE British Prime Minister David Cameron has called on governments and internet companies to do more to wipe Islamic State propaganda from the web.

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Tax deal aims for even playing field

NASSIM KHADEM Countries may have to battle for revenue from digital companies once the global plan to stop tax avoidance succeeds, says the OECD's head of tax, but at least they now have something to fight for.

Gifts for foreign officials tops $3.4m

Philip Dorling The Australian government has spent more than $3.4 million on gifts for foreign dignitaries and officials, with purchases surging in the run-up to the G20 summit in Brisbane.

Tony Abbott tries hostessing, G20 style

JACQUELINE MALEY Opinion Call it Tony Abbott's Mrs Dalloway moment. History has not recorded whether our Prime Minister Tony Abbott has read the classic Virginia Woolf novel.

Abbott: jobs and growth top the G20 agenda

Prime Minister insists jobs and economic growth must remain front and centre of the G20 agenda, pushing back against renewed momentum for climate change to be discussed at the meeting.

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Russian warships in 'routine exercise'

DAVID WROE A fleet of Russian warships continued to steam south closer to the G20 host city of Brisbane on Thursday as experts stressed the show of force was aimed at the world as a whole, not just Australia.

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How much do you know about the G20?

Judith Ireland Take the G20 quiz and see how much you really know about the elite world leaders' summit.

Keating: US-China emissions deal exposes PM

LATIKA BOURKE Former prime minister Paul Keating says the landmark climate change deal struck between China and the US exposes the "nonsense" of the Abbott government's policies.

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Barack Obama praises 'historic' climate deal

Philip Wen, James Massola, Lisa Cox, Peter Hannam Barack Obama says the US and China have 'a special responsibility' to lead the global effort on climate change.

Pick 'n' mix G20 leaders

INTERACTIVE: Looking to create the perfect leader? Use our interactive to create your ideal leader from the G20 summit in Brisbane.

Leaders mull new model for 'too big to fail'

Clancy Yeates and James Eyers G20 leaders gathering in Brisbane will consider a plan to protect taxpayers from bailing-out failing banks.

Pope calls for G20 not to forget poor

Judith Ireland, Tom Allard Inequality has grown significantly among G20 nations in the past year, with the richest 1 per cent of people enjoying an extraordinary $US6.2 trillion boost to their wealth, according to a new analysis by Oxfam.

Luxury Mexico resort for G20 gas talkfest

HEATH ASTON It was once the private holiday retreat of American oil baron Jean Paul Getty.

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G20 leaders in the mood to act on tax

TOM ALLARD Ahead of next weekend's G20 summit, the release of leaked documents showing Luxembourg's facilitation of industrial scale tax avoidance by multinational corporations could not have been better timed.

Brisbane summit to focus on economic growth

Paul Osborne The G20 summit is where global economic matters get ironed out, but a wealth of other issues are demanding attention.

Australia on alert as cyber threats circle G20

HANNAH FRANCIS Top security expert warns cyber criminals will be targeting Australia during the G20, with non-government agencies likely to be the "weakest link".

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Joyce lauds imminent China beef export deal

JAMES MASSOLA Agriculture Minister says an imminent deal to export up to 1 million head of live cattle to China annually would be a significant boost for Australian farmers.

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Obama plans 'landmark' speech in Brisbane

US President Barack Obama will deliver a "landmark" speech on American leadership in the Asia-Pacific while in Brisbane for the G20 summit.

Climate change hopes for G20 diminished

PETER HANNAM Climate change remains all but absent from the G20 summit, with a related energy efficiency plan omitting mention of global warming as a motivation for curbing energy use, according to a draft of the plan.

'Mistake for Australia to snub China'

Su-Lin Tan Australia should not have refused to become a founding member of the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank says a former Australian ambassador to China

IPCC lines up for a sixth climate audit

PETER HANNAM More than a quarter of a century old and the bane of global warming sceptics everywhere, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change isn't about to fade into the sunset.

Hockey lauded for G20's narrow focus

VESNA POLJAK Citigroup Australia boss Stephen Roberts believes Australia’s presidency of the Group of 20 will go down as one of the most successful stewardships of the global forum.

Charities, aid agencies locked out of G20

MATT WADE Groups representing charities, aid agencies and community organisations are being shut out of next month's G20 summit.

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G20 security forces finish last major training

KRISTIAN SILVA While most of Brisbane was enjoying a Labour Day sleep-in, 800 people were taking part in the final G20 security exercise before the world's most powerful leaders arrive in the River City next month.

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Hockey hails G20 meeting a success

Gareth Hutchens, James Massola Treasurer Joe Hockey says G20 finance ministers are 90 per cent of the way towards meeting a 2 per cent target for additional global growth.

24 days of free music for G20 Brisbane

NATALIE BOCHENSKI Brisbane will host dozens of free concerts as part of the G20 Cultural program.

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More restricted zones added to Brisbane G20

TONY MOORE Three extra Brisbane hotels have been added to the restricted zone for the G20 leaders' meeting in Brisbane in November.

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Obama to own airspace for 80 minutes

AMY REMEIKIS For 80 minutes in November, the most powerful man in the world will be able to add Brisbane airspace to the list of things under his control.

G20 'test run' a success: police

Cleo Fraser Security plans for the G20 leaders' summit will be tweaked after a successful test run during the finance meeting in Cairns, police say.

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Putin 'to face icy reception at G20'

James Massola, Gareth Hutchens US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin will face an icy reception at the G20 leaders meeting.

Global tax reform top of the agenda for G20 finance ministers

GARETH HUTCHENS The world’s most powerful central bank governors and finance ministers gather in Cairns this weekend for a series of highly charged economic meetings.

Door left open for Vladimir Putin to attend

Gareth Hutchens, David Wroe Treasurer Joe Hockey says he expects Russia to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane in November despite concerns over its actions in Ukraine

Shorten again calls for ban on Putin

LATIKA BOURKE Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has renewed his calls for the government to consider banning Russian President Vladimir Putin from attending the G20 in Brisbane in November.

Community groups fear G20 impact on homeless and other vulnerable people

CAMERON ATFIELD Community groups will meet in Brisbane next to discuss concerns over the G20 summit's impact on the homeless, the mentally ill and other vulnerable people.

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Heat on Joe Hockey over tax avoidance deal as government prepares to host G20

GEORGIA WILKINS Labor has accused the government of procrastinating on a key measure to stop multinational companies shifting profits offshore.

G20 organisers say scrutiny will prevent abuse of police powers

CAMERON ATFIELD Organisers of the police presence at November's G20 have assured residents near the planned restricted zone they have nothing to fear from increased police powers.

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Eric Abetz urged to take child labour concerns to G20 employment ministers

ANNA PATTY Employment minister Eric Abetz has been urged to raise the issue of child labour in sweatshops with his international colleagues next week when he hosts a meeting of G20 employment ministers.

Let Putin come to G20, says MH17 victims Roger and Jill Guard's son

Australia should not ban Russian President Vladimir Putin from the G20 summit in Brisbane, says the son of a Queensland couple killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.