More than just a good old chin wag.

That’s the message from US President Barack Obama at the conclusion of the biggest gathering of world leaders ever seen in Australia.

But for the G20 to be considered a real success, leaders such as Obama have to summon the courage and purpose to deliver on the reforms outlined by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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After the steel barricades are torn down, the Brisbane declaration actually has to be implemented. And that will require a real commitment from all members of this summit.

Despite several embarrassing moments as the G20 chair – not the least when he outlined his domestic agenda in front of bemused world leaders – the PM can take quiet satisfaction from the weekend talkfest.

Abbott will never be a global statesman and he does not possess the silken oratory skills of Obama, or Britain’s David Cameron, for that matter.

Barack Obama needs to ensure the Brisbane talkfest ends up more than just a chin wag. Photo: AAP

Clearly he did not get his own way on key passages in the formal communique, particularly when it came to climate change.

But he and Treasurer Joe Hockey deserve credit for crafting an agenda that reflected Australia’s priorities during its year-long chairmanship of the powerful bloc.

While meetings of world leaders often focus on the prosaic, the Brisbane summit focused on delivering tangible benefit: boosting economic growth, clamping down on tax evasion, realistic goals for infrastructure.

At the start of this year, the PM and his treasurer sat down to discuss their agenda for the G20. The communique issued late on Sunday largely reflects their resolve to keep a tight focus on the agenda.

They wanted to be able to point to concrete measures rather than empty rhetoric. Now the challenge is to ensure that the reforms agreed to by the G20 members actually translates into something tangible and real.

A number of positive spin-offs for Australia should accrue. For instance, a new global infrastructure hub will be located in Sydney, providing expert advice on tapping into private sector funding to build the next wave of roads, rail and other transport links.

With many countries still suffering a hangover from the global financial crisis, the push to boost economic growth by two per cent above trend is also particularly notable.

This won’t be easy but G20 leaders have signed off on nearly 1000 individual reforms, around 800 of them new. This could deliver a real shot in the arm for global growth, but it remains to be seen how these reforms will be introduced in Australia given the Abbott government’s difficulties with its own budget agenda.

Still, the numbers sound impressive. According to Abbott the push to boost growth by two per cent will inject an additional $2 trillion into the global economy and create millions of jobs.

Let’s wait and see. It will be up to the International Monetary Fund and the OECD to monitor these initiatives and hold to account countries such as Australia that often talk up their commitment to reform, but then fail to deliver when the going gets tough.

Productive discussions this morning with @AbeShinzo & @BarackObama at the #G20 pic.twitter.com/I7AvkINiWE

— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) November 15, 2014

The influence of community leaders such as World Vision head Tim Costello can be seen too in the commitment to close the gender gap in labour force participation by 25 per cent by 2025.

But it’s in the area of taxation where the G20 can make real progress following the Brisbane declaration.

The official communique includes endorsement of a new ‘global transparency standard’ that leaders say will leave ‘tax cheats’ with no place to hide.

Let’s hope global leaders and tax authorities have the fortitude to take meaningful action to ensure that multinational firms are less able to park their profits in jurisdictions where they can avoid paying a fair share of tax.

Clearly something has to be done on the taxation front. But it remains to be seen whether key players – notably the US – are prepared to play ball on reforms that potentially will damage some of that country’s largest and most influential corporations.

In the end it will largely be up to Obama to ensure the Brisbane talkfest ends up more than just a chin wag.

Steve Lewis has spent more than two decades reporting from the Canberra Press Gallery and is a senior adviser with Newgate Communications. He is also the author of Stand & Deliver, a history of the National Press Club published by Black Inc.