Treasurer and prime-minister-in-waiting Peter Costello is making efforts to project himself on to the world stage, arriving in Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province yesterday to inspect the progress of Australian aid projects.
Canberra announced a further A$88 million ($520 million) in aid to Aceh yesterday to help restore essential services and improve health and education facilities.
Soon after the tsunami, Australia announced a A$1 billion aid package, half of which will be delivered as a grant, the rest as soft loans.
Mr Costello's trip fuelled speculation of a possible bid for leadership of the Liberal Party, coming just days after he hinted it may be time for Prime Minister John Howard to step aside.
The treasurer, who has been the party's deputy leader for nearly 10 years, is known to be increasingly restless in his job and believes it is high time Mr Howard hand over the reins.
The Indonesian trip, though of noble intent, is also being seen as a move to increase his international profile.
Large parts of Aceh's coastline are under water and will remain that way after the earthquake that triggered the tsunami lowered the land around Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
