Staff ordered to stop saying 'G'Day'

Staff at a five-star Australian hotel hosting the Commonwealth summit have been ordered to stop saying 'G'day'.

Commonwealth officials want staff at the Novotel Twin Waters in Coolum to use a more formal 'hello', or 'good morning'.

Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie said he will not be bound by the order.

"I always say G'day to people," he said.

Mr Beattie said Australia should be proud of its laid-back lifestyle and said the Queen, who will formally open the summit tomorrow, also enjoys that aspect of the country.

"One of the things her majesty enjoys about Australia is we are relaxed, easy-going and we are not into formality," Beattie said.

"People will respect us for who we are, we don't need to change just because we have international guests."

A Novotel spokesman said the ban was an effort to reduce confusion among arriving delegates.

He said: "People hopping off the plane straight from African nations might be confused to be greeted with 'G'day'."

Earlier, armed police swooped on a golf buggy outside the hotel after mistaking a tyre blow-out for a gunshot.