today's heraldsun - trying again

How the 'you know what' does Nick Curtis justify a junket to the G20 as one of Australia's leading business identities having almost brought Lynas to its knees.

What a joke.

WESFARMERS chief Richard Goyder, Telstra's David Thodey and Westpac's Gail Kelly and are among top corporate leaders pressing the flesh with global powerbrokers at the World Economic Forum this week.

Australia has 23 participants at the elite economic gathering. Other business participants, including Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest, Coles managing director Ian McLeod and Leighton Holdings chief Hamish Tyrwhitt.

Visy director Ross Fitzgerald, Brambles chief Thomas Gorman, Lynas chairman Nicholas Curtis and Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation chairman Tony Hyams are also in the troupe.

The five-day forum at the Swiss ski resort of Davos brings together about 2500 of the world's top leaders and wealth creators - plus a smattering of celebrities, including Hollywood star Matt Damon and U2 frontman Bono.

Many of Australia's corporate chiefs are attending as part of their membership of the B20, a coalition of senior business leaders advising the government during its presidency of the G20 forum.

B20 spokesman Robert Milliner said the group would push four key themes at Davos - investing in productive infrastructure, promoting free trade, ensuring financial regulation does not stifle access to credit and job creation and training.

"These high-level forums are an opportunity for people to come together and (work on) understanding the issues and developing a consensus around what are the things that can be done to create greater growth and greater economic wellbeing," he told BusinessDaily.

Fortescue's Mr Forrest is understood to be attending in his capacity as a founder of the Walk Free foundation which is pushing to end modern slavery estimated to impactaffect 30 million people.

The mining billionaire, who has pledged to give away more than half his fortune to charity, is campaigning for global trade agreements to include clauses prohibiting forced labour