Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia should stop referring to itself as a middle power, but rather a top-20 country.
Ms Bishop used an address to the coalition joint parties meeting in Canberra on Tuesday to talk up Australia's place in the world ahead of the G20 leaders' summit in Brisbane in November.
The term "middle power" is often used by politicians and foreign relations analysts to position Australia as a country with influence but no major power.
The foreign minister told colleagues there were many indicators to show Australia punched above its weight, including fifth largest GDP per capita, 12th largest GDP and 10th largest stock exchange.
