Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten says Australia should have used its influence as host to prevent Putin from attending

The Abbott government has confirmed that Vladimir Putin will attend the looming G20 summit in Brisbane despite Australia’s strongly articulated concerns about Russia’s foreign policy.

The government has said consistently Putin’s attendance at the forum is a consensus decision for G20 attendees rather than an issue over which Australia, as host, has discretion.

On Sunday, both the prime minister, Tony Abbott, and the treasurer, Joe Hockey, confirmed Putin would attend the conference. “Russia is a member of the G20 and as such, we’re obliged to accept the Russian leader in this country,” Abbott told reporters in Brisbane.

But the decision was criticised by the Labor leader Bill Shorten, who has previously indicated the opposition would support the government if it chose to prevent Putin attending the G20.



“I think most Australians are understandably extremely uncomfortable about welcoming president Putin to Australia,” Shorten said Sunday in a statement. “The way Putin behaved following the downing of MH17 – with what is almost certain to have been a Russian-made missile – has been nothing short of disgraceful.”

Abbott acknowledged there was much to “deplore” in Russia foreign policy.

“Obviously we had the MH17 atrocity earlier this year where 38 Australians were murdered by Russian-backed rebels using Russian-supplied equipment so there’s much to deplore in Russia’s foreign policy.”

“There’s much to deplore in Russia’s blatant aggression towards a smaller, weaker neighbour. But the G20 is an international gathering that operates by consensus,” the prime minister said Sunday.

“It’s not Australia’s right to say yes or no to individual members of the G20. Russia is a member of the G20 and as such, we’re obliged to accept the Russian leader in this country.”

Abbott indicated the Brisbane meeting was an opportunity to make “crystal clear that we think that Russia needs to fully cooperate in the investigation into the MH17 atrocity”.

The prime minister said that was Australia’s view and the view of other world leaders.

“I don’t believe for a moment that president Putin wanted that plane brought down. But obviously Russian policy has brought about a situation that caused this atrocity to take place,” the prime minister said.

“So as I said, what I will be wanting from the Russian president is an assurance from him that he and Russia will do everything they can to ensure that now, at least, justice is done.”

Shorten said given the G20 was an international conference, not an Australian conference, he understood the government was in a difficult position.

But he said Australia should have used its influence as host of the G20 and a member of the UN security council to prevent Putin from coming to Brisbane.

“I am very disappointed the Abbott government has gone from talking tough to trying to pretend Putin coming here isn’t an issue Australians are concerned about,” Shorten said.

“It is disappointing that Abbott government couldn’t use the leverage that hosting the G20 and holding a seat on the UN security council afforded for preventing the attendance of Mr Putin.”

Hockey said Putin’s attendance was supported by G20 leaders. “That has certainly been the consensus of other members of the G20 that president Putin should attend.”

He said the Russian president should expect “some full and frank dialogue” at that meeting.