This year's G20: getting the fundamentals right

Every country's circumstances are different but this is what we are doing in Australia to boost growth, participation and productivity.

Some countries might find our example instructive, just as we have learned from others' experiences.

Growth, however, is the result of global conditions as well as domestic policies.

And this year, Australia is in a unique position to promote global growth as chair of the G20.

If the largest economies can individually achieve higher growth and can cooperate to achieve higher global growth, obviously, every country benefits.

At St Petersburg last year, each G20 country agreed to prepare its own comprehensive growth strategy to feed into a G20-wide action plan.

I'm looking forward to respectful but robust discussion of each country's national plan.

Each of us can learn from canvassing the problems that we all face; and even more importantly, the problems that can only be solved by countries working cooperatively together.

This year's Brisbane summit will focus on a few key subjects because progress usually comes one step at a time.

Australia's aim is a communiqué just three pages long explaining precisely how good intentions are being put into practice.

Like last year, this year's G20 must be more than a talkfest.

As always, trade comes first.