If Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott face off on the streets of Brisbane and no one is around to see it, does it make a shirt-front?
As the G20 Summit is set to start this weekend in Ghost Town, Australia, the attending world leaders will have the Brisbane CBD all to themselves. There will be no lines, no tourists, no homeless people, no where to grab a coffee, no cars, no atmosphere. Nada. Zilch. Nothing.
If anyone is acting suspiciously in the restricted area, it will be very obvious as they will be the only person in the area. Many locals ignored Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk's plea to stay in the city for the Summit and headed en masse to the Sunshine Coast for a long weekend. Accommodation options on the coast have reported higher than usual bookings for this period, with Queenslanders making the most of their complimentary public holiday.
Quirk told Ten News the abandoned city is nothing to worry about and it will pay for itself.
“This event will help to get us better known, it will mean more tourism numbers for hotels, retail stores and restaurants for years to come. That’s what we’ve got to look at this event as,” he said.
Yet for the moment it is the worst party ever.
Although shutting down the city might keep the leaders safe, it won't allow the world a taste of Australia. Let's just hope the delegates get to duck down for a few sneaky bevvies and some debauchery in Surfers Paradise after the main event and see what Australia really has to offer.
Brisbane is a ghost town for #G20Brisbane - never seen it like this before. pic.twitter.com/JWQqWqH7GS— David Douglas Stuart (@bigkamo) November 14, 2014
Brisbane, about as bustling as Pyongyang #G20 pic.twitter.com/HG9QbMYLSs— Daniel Piotrowski (@drpiotrowski) November 13, 2014
Anne street, peak hour Brisbane this morning..G20 has turned Brisbane city into a ghost town. pic.twitter.com/cgiPzRhPjf— Daniel Attenborough (@DanAttenborough) November 14, 2014
Empty streets cleared for motorcades in Brisbane #G20 @9NewsBrisbane #9News pic.twitter.com/1EDCgvfGjp— Howie Bennett (@howieb69) November 14, 2014
Empty streets in Brisbane as businesses close and many locals leave ahead of G20 pic.twitter.com/jnYKcUlvHL— Andrew Stevens (@andrewcnn) November 14, 2014
Brisbane is a ghost town during G20, , downtown busiest street. #G20GhostTown pic.twitter.com/PcqkO7KIRf— Jigme (@Abraxas444) November 14, 2014
Friday morning, and parts of the #Brisbane CBD are a ghost town #G20 #G20Brisbane pic.twitter.com/UPClMSwHfU— Adam Todd (@_AdamTodd) November 13, 2014
Some pretty serious baracades around South Brisbane. Overkill considering it's a ghost town? #G20 #G20Brisbane pic.twitter.com/rwnms8swTA— Pete (@PeteFTD) November 14, 2014
G-g-g-ghost town! #brisbane #g20 #G20Brisbane pic.twitter.com/9lwSfGHMj2— Patrick Williams (@thepatricktimes) November 14, 2014
Ah, that is where everyone is going.
Traffic is bumper to bumper on the Bruce Highway as Brisbane residents escape the #G20 chaos http://t.co/teKSWNoZHt pic.twitter.com/lfk4EPHspu— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) November 14, 2014