Australian informality to encourage friendly, open G20 discussion

BRISBANE - The informal nature of Australian meetings in which world leaders and high-ranking government officials are called by their first names will result in more friendly and open discussions at the G20, according to a G20 expert.

Victor Perton, a senior adviser in the Australian G20 Taskforce said when he was addressing business leaders at a conference on Wednesday night that he expected plenty of goodwill between the world leaders during the weekend summit.

"It was the informality of our prime minister and our Treasurer. The G20 this year has been on a first-name basis. The meetings have been, 'Joe, what do you think?', he said.

"[U.S. Federal Reserve] Chair Yellen is not Chairman Yellen, she's Jen."

Perton said showing leaders the local sights and sounds had also helped in this year's G20 meetings, which included a barbecue on Sydney Harbor for the finance ministers.

"You know, it's those stereotypical things about Australia that has really made this G20. People love touching Australian animals. People love Australian food and wine," he said.

Perton, a former Australian political figure, said the summit's major highlights focused on encouraging the private-sector to invest in public infrastructure projects, and preventing multinational companies from avoiding taxes.