Summit participants have given a lukewarm reaction to the Federal Government's 2020 summit after only nine from nearly 1,000 ideas were given the go ahead.

The initiatives to get the green light include a civilian organisation to assist in disaster relief overseas, scholarships to broaden cultural understanding between Asia and Australia, and $50 million towards the development of a bionic eye.

There is also a program for older Australians, known as 'golden gurus', to pass on knowledge to businesses and communities in a mentoring role.

The nine initiatives have largely been welcomed as reasonable ideas but there is concern they lack the big-picture vision that the summit was supposed to be about.

The Government says it is still pondering many of the other ideas and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he wants to hold more gatherings on the same lines.

But Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson, who was not at the summit, says the Government's response is an insult.

"I actually think the Australian people might have wanted some responses that showed some long-term vision," he said.

"And I think quite frankly it is kicking sand in the face of those participants who put a lot of time and energy into some 2020 vision."

Mr Rudd explained the concept behind golden gurus.

"We know that older Australians have a mountain of skills, goodwill and time to offer in their fields of expertise and experience," he said.

"We also know that we don't make the best use of that group that includes some of our best people."

There is to be a program to help workers and business leaders develop sustainability skills. Mr Rudd says $26 million has been allocated.

"The skills for the carbon challenge program will speed up the response to climate change by investing in training, infrastructure, and providing incentives for industry to take up green skills," he said.

"Government cannot force people to make climate-friendly choices, just as it cannot force people to study or lead healthier lives."

The head of Uniting Care Australia, Lyn Hatfield-Dodds, attended the summit and wanted the Government to take up the idea of a national plan to fight poverty.

She hopes this is not the end of the 2020 process.

"Those key issues that they've flagged all seem to be reasonable ideas at first face," she said.

"But I have to say, as someone who was at the summit, who was there for the buzz and the excitement of those couple of days, I'm disappointed because I can't seem to see any nation-shaping ideas in what the Government's just announced."

One nation-shaping idea that the Government is leaving on the shelf is the push for Australia to become a republic.

The head of World Vision Australia, Tim Costello, also went to the summit.

"As a republican, I wish it was there," he said.

"I think Australians are ready for a republic, I think they want a republic. I'm a little disappointed it's not there."<h3>Blurred vision</h3>

Twelve months ago the Budget was in surplus and the global financial crisis was barely peeping over the horizon.

Tim Costello is aware that the changed economic conditions have blurred the 2020 vision.

"There's no argument that in these difficult financial times things have dropped off the list that otherwise would've been thinkable," he said.

"Of course I'm disappointed that one of the recommendations from our stream - an alcohol tax, a hypothecated tax which says 'here's an industry doing $15 billion damage, let's take the $3 billion they pay in tax to clean up the mess they create', would've been something nice to go forward. That's gone."

The Government did pounce on the idea of a wholesale review of the tax system. It began one month after the summit and a report is due in December.

The Australian Industry Group's Heather Ridout is working on it; she says the recommendations will be substantial and a direct outcome of the 2020 summit.

"I think on balance it was a really good thing to do, and it was a good time to do it, and the sorts of initiatives that have been announced, they will really take Australia forward," she said.

"There's a lot of intangible outcomes as well, things that weren't evident today, conversations between people that hadn't met before. A lot of things were sparked out of that weekend, that I think even the most cynical person couldn't deny.

"So on balance it was a good thing to do. You couldn't do it every year, but it was a good thing to do."

Mr Rudd says if Labor is re-elected, he wants to have another meeting of minds similar to the 2020 Summit.

"Bring together again a group from across the nation, dealing with the critical challenge areas for the future, and reassess where we're going," he said.

"Put a decade-plus ahead of us. Not plan for the short term but plan for the long term, and work out what we can do together as a national community."

The Government has responded to all of the 962 ideas that came out of the 2020 Summit.

It has rejected some of the more radical proposals, such as abolishing the states and territories, scrapping local government, and legalising all drugs.