AS MANY world leaders stay on in Australia in the wake of the G20 summit at the weekend in Brisbane, it is relevant to consider just how our nation is perceived on the international stage.
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Most notably, it was the great juxtaposition between the focus of traditional superpowers the United States and China and that of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott which was cause for general consternation and debate during the weekend.
On one hand US president Barack Obama talked of the necessity to be proactive on tackling climate change while on the other Mr Abbott spoke of his government’s success in ending the carbon tax.
Mr Obama challenged young people in a broad ranging and typically motivating speech on Saturday while Mr Abbott spoke of his troubles in implementing a $7 tax on Australians to have medical treatment.
It was a contrast which captured attention worldwide but most pointedly in the US, where papers, such as the Los Angeles Times, left little doubt of its view.
Its reporter Robyn Dixon described Australia as a “shrimp of the schoolyard”.
She went on: “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. The lifestyle makes up for it. But occasionally, there’s an awkward, pimply youth moment so embarrassing that it does sting. Like when 19 of the world’s most important leaders visit for a global summit and Prime Minister Tony Abbott opens their retreat Saturday with a whinge (Aussie for whine) about his doomed efforts to get his fellow Australians to pay $7 to see a doctor. And then he throws in a boast that his government repealed the country’s carbon tax, standing out among Western nations as the one willing to reverse progress on global warming – just days after the United States and China reached a landmark climate change deal.”
The G20 meeting, and all the immense opportunities for meetings with international leaders, was a chance for Australia to show a maturity to be a player on significant global issues.
Instead, the G20 has exposed a lack of visionary leadership and reinforced that what we do best is cuddly koalas, hot weather and a good barbecue.
The question: Is this the Australia we want for our future?
