G-20 Brisbane summit 

The 2014 G-20 Australia summit was the ninth meeting of the G-20 heads of government. It was held in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia, on 15–16 November 2014. The hosting venue was the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre at South Brisbane.

Agenda

European leaders expressed their desire to support the recovery as the global economy moves beyond the global financial crisis. European Commission President Barroso and european Council President Van Rompuy stressed the importance of coordinated growth strategies as well as finalising agreements on core financial reforms, and actions on tax and anti-corruption.

According to Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu the main objectives of the summit are to "provide strategic priority for growth, financial rebalancing and emerging economies, investment and infrastructure, and employment and labour mobility".Professor of international finance law at the University of New South Wales Ross Buckley suggested that the summit should emphasis the implementation of existing strategies rather than seeking agreement towards reforms.

Climate change was not included as a subject for discussion at the summit; Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated he did not want the agenda "cluttered" by subjects that would distract from economic growth. Officials from the European Union and United States of America are reported to be unhappy with this decision.^[10] At each of the previous summits climate change was included on the agenda.

Australian media says that Australia will have a significant effect on the agenda. Mike Callaghan, the director of the G20 Studies Centre at the Lowy Institute for International Policy has stated that if the G20 meeting is to attain significant outcomes it should focus on boosting infrastructure spending, multilateral trading systems and combating Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The discussion on tax avoidance has been fueled by a disclosure of confidential tax agreements between more than 340 multinational corporations and Luxembourg (see also Luxembourg Leaks).

Associated meetings

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will meet several times in 2014. Sydney will host a meeting on 21–23 February followed by a meeting in Cairns, Queensland in September 2014. At the September meeting participating countries agreed to automatically exchange tax information to reduce tax evasion. Canberra will host a meeting for G20 finance and central bank deputies in 2014. The Youth 20 Summit is the official (G20) youth event being held in Sydney in July 2014. A meeting of G20 trade ministers took place in Sydney during July, and the annual G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting was held in Melbourne during September. Officials-levels meetings of public servants have taken place throughout the year to prepare for the ministerial meetings.

Security Measures :

The G20 legislation will suspend important civil liberties, including the absolute right to arrest without warrant, in addition to the police powers act, 2000, to detain people without charge, to predispose the courts into not giving arrested individuals bail, extensive searches of the person without warrant, including strip searches, and the banning of common household items carried in public. Officers have the backing of increased penalties when lawful directions are not followed. The peaceful assembly act of 1992 is suspended during the G20 meeting dates. Size of placards are strictly regulated, as is permission to protest, and the location of protests. Legal observers will be in force to observe the use of police power during this time. Heavy fines are enforceable due to the legislation. Most offenses carry between 50 and 100 penalty units worth of fines. A penalty unit in 2014 is $110.There will be a declared area taking effect from the 8th of November with a number of restricted areas which will be fenced and guarded by police. Freedom of movement for ordinary citizens will be restricted. According to the G20 (Safety and Security) Regulation 2014 and article 12 of the G20 (Safety and Security) Act 2013, the restricted areas can be changed at the Police Commissioner's or the Minister's request at any time during the proceedings. Residents living in these areas will have to have a security clearance performed, and their car given a security pass. Residents not receiving a security clearance will be forced to leave the area, but will be paid accommodation expenses.

Attendance

There was divided opinion both within Australia and from other nations on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should be allowed to attend the G-20 summit, following Russia's response to the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as well as Russia's actions in Ukraine earlier in the year. Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, approached other G20 countries about banning Putin from the meeting, and stated that this consultation found that there was not the necessary consensus to exclude him. A poll taken in July 2014 found 49% of Australians do not think Putin should be allowed to attend. It was confirmed in September that Putin will attend, with Prime Minister Abbott stating that "The G20 is an international gathering that operates by consensus – it's not Australia's right to say yes or no to individual members of the G20".

In November 2014, Russia sent a fleet of warships into international waters off the coast of Australia to accompany Putin's visit. The fleet consisted of Varyag, Marshal Shaposhnikov, a salvage and rescue tug, and a replenishment oiler. Australia responded by sending Stuart and Parramatta, as well as a P-3 Orion surveillance plane, to monitor the Russians. Although Russia had previously sent warships to accompany presidential attendance at international summits, the size of fleet and the lack of official notification to the host country made this an unprecedented move.

This meeting was the first time an Argentine President could not be in attendance, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner being represented by Economy Minister Axel Kicillof, as she remained hospitalised for a fourth day with an intestinal infection.

Reactions

Holy See head of state of Pope Francis wrote to host Prime Minister Tony Abbott that market fundamentalism can be a threat to economic security and the health of the planet. His letter also included issues such as fair taxation, hunger, unemployment, financial regulation, climate change, terrorism and poverty. He called on political leaders to remember that "many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions. [I]t would indeed be regrettable if such discussions were to remain purely on the level of declarations of principle."