Swan heads to US for G20 meeting

The G20 finance ministers' meeting will help Australia turn its success during the
global financial crisis into longterm gains, Treasurer Wayne Swan says.
Mr Swan will fly to Washington this week for the meeting, to be held on April 22 and
23.
It will be Mr Swan's first G20 summit since November, when his counterparts met in
Scotland.
He will be going to the meeting with Australia's unemployment rate at 5.3 per cent,
compared to higher levels in other nations including 7.8 per cent in the UK, 8.2 per
cent in Canada and 9.7 per cent in the US.
"This week's meeting of G20 finance ministers in Washington is one of a series of
meetings this year dedicated to finding the right balance between global action and
national flexibility," Mr Swan said in an economic note on Sunday.
"It's in Australia's national interest to continue to do the heavy lifting on the
international stage while maintaining the flexibility to do what's right for our own
economy.
"In fact it's impossible to frame a sensible budget without having a firm handle on
progress in the global economy and that's why these meetings are so important for
Australia, so we can convert our success during the crisis into enduring gains for
Australians."