Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was the beneficiary of British spying on Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the 2009 G20 summit meeting in London, according to Australian intelligence and foreign affairs sources.

Officials familiar with Australia's participation in the April 2009 heads of government meeting said the Australian delegation received ''excellent intelligence support'' including ''much information'' shared by the United Kingdom and the US.

Kevin Rudd with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Credit:Reuters

''[Prime Minister] Rudd had a keen appetite for intelligence, especially on the Asia-Pacific leaders - Yudhoyono, [Indian Prime Minister] Manmoham Singh, and [former Chinese president] Hu Jintao,'' one intelligence source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Intelligence and foreign affairs sources have told Fairfax Media of the importance of intelligence received from US and British agencies to support Australia's diplomatic objectives including the campaign to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council.