(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
It's been a big week for Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Not only did he host the G20 summit in Brisbane, he also played host to four visiting world leaders, signed a trade deal with China and began negotiating others.
The leaders of China, India and Britain formally addressed Federal Parliament and the French prime Minister paid Canberra a visit too.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the visits have been an opportunity to strengthen some of Australia's most crucial international relationships
Amanda Cavill reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
Australia has already secured free trade agreements with Japan and Korea this year and now there are more.
Mr Abbott concluded a trade deal with China on the Monday and announced his intent for an agreement with India in 12 months on Tuesday.
And at week's end Tony Abbott added the European Union to the growing list of trade agreements in his sights.
Mr Abbott says he hopes Australia can swiftly begin negotiations for a free trade agreement with the European Union.
Visiting French President Francois Hollande told Mr Abbott he's keen to get started with the negotiations.
(Translated) "We are very much in favour of this as the European Union that will bring this forward with a design that has to be very wide ranging and allow for certain products which currently cannot come into Australia be admitted, and I'm thinking of pork producers but there are other fields that can be slowed down by these rules."
While that deal is probably some years away, others are now finalised or will be finalised in the next 12 months.
These deals will give Australian producers and exporters access to more than two and a half billion people across Asia and the Indian pacific.
Tony Abbott and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have fast-tracked trade talks which began in May 2011 with the aim of reaching a deal by the end of next year during his Canberra trip.
The Indian leader told federal parliament he's also eager for Australian exports of uranium to start, pending an agreement on safeguards.
Mr Modi says the expansion of nuclear power and other renewable power sources is critical to tackling climate change and helping some of its 300 million people who can't access electricity.
"Energy that does not cause our glaciers to melt. Clean coal and gas, renewable energy, a fuel for nuclear power."
Also visiting Canberra was Chinese President Xi Jinping who was glowing about the bilateral relationship with Australia.
President Xi Jinping says earth-shaking changes have taken place in relations between China and Australia.
Tony Abbott described the Chinese leader's visit as among the most remarkable events of his life.
The President departed Austalia after signing a free trade agreement that axes tariffs in the resources and agricultural sectors and being only the second Chinese leader to address federal parliament.
The President says the deal will be mutually beneficial for the ever strengthening friendship between the two nations.
(Translated)"The conclusion of the China Australia FTA negotiations will create a higher level platform and provide better institutional arrangements for our economic cooperation, boosting traditional cooperation in such priority areas like energy and resources, accelerating the growth of new corporation areas like infrastructure, agriculture and animal husbandry, to further diversify our business ties."
But trade has not the only item on the agenda at the international talks.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Mr Abbott also discussed how best to combat extremism at home and overseas.
In his speech to parliament, Mr Cameron said there can be no backing away from the issue of citizens travelling to fight with terrorist groups.
"There is no opt-out from dealing with this. We have to confront this threat at its source so it is right that once again, with others, including Arab States, British and Australian forces are operating alongside each other, supporting all those in Iraq and Syria who want a future for their countries where all their people are represented and where there is no place for extremism and terror."
And Climate Change would not go away, however much Mr Abbott tried to keep it off the agenda.
At week's end Mr Abbott conceded that the Paris Climate conference next year must have the support of the world, and that incudes Australia.
Although he continued to press home his message that any measures must be economically responsible.
"I think it's very important that we don't have another disaster like Copenhagen and it's vital that the Paris conference be a success and for it to be a success, we can't pursue environmental improvements at the expense of economic progress. We can't reduce emissions in ways which cost jobs because it will fail if that's what we end up trying to do."
