Australia will use its G-20 presidency to keep the agenda for this weekend's G-20 Summit meeting in Brisbane very focused and sharp, said that country's High Commissioner to India, Patrick Suckling on Wednesday.
Interacting with select media at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, High Commissioner Suckling said that Australia visualizes the forthcoming G-20 Summit as a "very big deal", and added that Australia is determined to convince participating nations of the need "to take appropriate steps that will drive global growth and create more jobs."
Describing past efforts of the G-20 as being "a bit of a Christmas Tree", High Commissioner Suckling said Australia as the current president of the G-20 grouping, sees itself as having a "very strong responsibility", given the fact that this year's summit will have leaders of nations that are responsible for 85 per cent of the world's GDP, 75 per cent of world trade and 60 per cent of the world's people.
Suckling emphasized that while G-20 had the required clout and influence to make a real difference in the lives of billions of people worldwide, all members would necessarily have to commit to harnessing this clout and influence to boost the G-20's GDP by at least an additional two per cent over the next five years.
He further said that a majority of the 900 measures or reforms collectively agreed upon for global growth and jobs by G-20 member nations suggested that achieving the additional two per cent over the next five years is well on track.
The Australian envoy said that this year's G-20 agenda is focused on six key measures namely (1) Commitment to economic reforms (2) To encourage the private sector to invest in infrastructure and build on it (3) Ease the way of doing business, especially in relation to removing unnecessary regulatory and other business-centric burdens to reduce costs (4) To reduce slippages between profit earnings and payment of taxes (5) To avoid too much risk taking through regulatory frameworks and (6) Take the energy agenda of the grouping forward in a focused manner.
He said he expected a very short communique to be issued after the G-20 deliberations that would reflect very effectively the reformist aspirations of the participating leaders.
Thereafter, he said, there would be a customary retreat where G-20 leaders would, in all probability, work on the political way forward to realizing these aspirations.
He concluded by saying that the G-20 was looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a terrific contribution to the summit deliberations.
