An alternative three-day alternative "People's G20" in Brisbane is ready to go, with protesters saying the official G20 leaders summit excluded issues the people want to talk about.
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And now an alternative tourism body, Southern Queensland Country tourism, is trying to lure people out of Brisbane to the bush for a G20 long weekend away called "Me20" instead of attracting them to Brisbane for the G20.
The three-day "People's G20" alternative is being held at eight venues throughout West End and South Brisbane and will also culminate in a People's G20 statement, with their own people's hand-over to organisers in Turkey.
Some have dubbed the alternatives as "Bizarro G20", based on the Bizarro Superman character that appeared in Superman comics as a direct alternative to Superman.
Max Riethmuller is a Brisbane activist who has been involved in setting the week-long agenda of alternative events, which include the three-day 'Peoples Summit', which runs from November 12 to 14th immediately before the G20 leaders summit.
Mr Riethmuller is part of a network of activists working under the umbrella of Brisbane Community Action Network G20, shortened to BrisCAN-G20.
"All of the events gathered together are called the People's Summit," Mr Riethmuller said.
'It's kind of like Woodford (Woodford Festival), but as an alternative G20 summit," he said.
Max Riethmuller said the BrisCAN-G20 collective believe the G20 was not connected to real people.
"The ideas that we would like to see aired aren't even being discussed at the G20," he said.
"And we are fairly sceptible about the neo-Liberal or globalisation policies that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have pushed in the past."
He said environmental issues were barely on the G20 agenda.
"There's very little focus on environment or local economics. It is all 'big' economics," he said.
Mr Riethmuller disagreed the emphasis on big economics was necessary to drive a 2 per cent growth in economic growth to produce jobs.
"There is a lot of strength in local enterprise," citing an example where a local community opposed international supermarkets moving in to disrupt local economies and jobs.
"The local community is happy to pay higher prices, because they know they are getting a more personalised service."
"In the final analysis they (multinationals) don't deliver the same service that the smaller guys delivered."
He said BrisCAN-G20 organiser will prepare a closing statement – as an opposition to the official G20 statement.
"We want to have a document at the end of this that will bring together some of the things that have been discussed and some of the alternative ways forward," Mr Riethmuller said.
"It will be the alternative G20 statement – the People's G20 summit statement.
"And we think we will be able to achieve it, because we have a lot of input here.
"We don't feel the G20 is representing the people, we think they are representing big business, the big end of town.
"So this is the people's summit."
The official G20 leaders' summit has also spawned an alternative tourism campaign, with the Toowoomba-based independent tourism authority, Southern Queensland Country Tourism trying to lure tourists out of Brisbane for a "G20 Long Weekend."
Chief executive Mary-Clare Power said they believed some Brisbane-ites were looking for alternatives during G20 week.
"I think there is going to be lots of wonderful activity in Brisbane, but I think there are people who do want to get away and we are providing them with option, other than the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast."
It attracts people to the Granite Belt wineries, Toowoomba and national parks outside Brisbane.
The tourism body is not funded by Brisbane Marketing, an arm of Brisbane City Council.
What's on the G20 alternative agenda?
November 6: The first major "alternative G20" event is a talk about "protesting in a mature democracy" in Banco Court in the new George Street Court complex on November 6 from 5.30pm-6.30pm.
World Vision's chief executive Reverend Tim Costello, Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Katarina Carroll, former solicitor general Walter Sofronoff and Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Tim Soutphommasane are speakers.
November 12-14: People's Summit - Three days of talks and symposiums at eight venues in South Brisbane including the Princess Theatre, the Greek Club at South Brisbane and West End's Uniting Church.
Speakers include economist John Quiggan, human rights lawyer Stephen Keim and Elmer Labong, the chair of the Phillipines militant May First trade union movement .
Issues will cover austerity, growth and poverty, climate changes, food futures and civil rights issues.
November 10: March by the Brisbane Sovereign Embassy representatives and Brisbane Blacks who established an embassy in Musgrave Park in May 2012. Musgrave Park is an important traditional aboriginal meeting place.
November 15: The People's March beginning at Emma Miller Place - Roma St Parklands at 11.15am - and march past the G20 summit to Musgrave Park.
Speakers include Sharan Burrows, general secretary of the International Trade Union Federation; Les Malazer from the National Congress of Australia's first people and OxFam executive director Winnie Byanyima.
"Walking Borders" – spot protests by refugee groups at the borders of declared areas to highlight refugee issues – on dates yet to be confirmed.
What's on the alternative "Me20" tourism promotion?
http://www.southernqueenslandcountry.com.au
