Foreign Minister Bob Carr has rejected the suggestion states are disappointed that Australia hasn't sent its head of government to the G20 leaders' summit ahead of taking over the presidency of the group in 2014.
Senator Carr has also backed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's view that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott isn't up to the task of discussing foreign affairs on the world stage.
Mr Rudd isn't attending the St Petersburg forum this week after he called the federal election for Saturday.
World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello - at the G20 as part of the C20 civil society group - has said "a lot of nations are rather surprised our head of government isn't here".
But Senator Carr begs to differ.
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"I've encountered no surprise at all," he told reporters on Thursday.
"Most of the leaders here face the rough and tumble of democratic elections.
"They understand the circumstance that if an election is on a couple of days after a global meeting you are not going to have an Australian leader able to get here."
Senator Carr said it was important Australia was represented ahead of taking over the presidency of the G20 for 2014. Next year's leaders' summit will be held in Brisbane in November.
The foreign minister said despite being in caretaker mode many countries still wanted to hold bilateral meetings with Australia this week.
Mr Rudd has questioned Mr Abbott's competency on the world stage as a graduate of the "John Wayne school of international relations".
Senator Carr on Thursday echoed those comments.
"Australians would prefer to have the internationalism of Kevin Rudd than the high adventurism of another coalition leader," he told reporters.
When the coalition was last in government, "they committed Australia to the clearly mistaken military adventure in Iraq", Senator Carr said, adding that led to the current global reluctance to co-operate on the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
The G20 is predominantly a financial forum which helps set the global economic agenda.
Senator Carr said on the economic front, Australia's focus this week was on underlining its commitment to growth ahead of austerity.
