Prime Minister Tony Abbott will meet some of the world's most powerful people when he struts his stuff on the world stage next week - but US President Barack Obama won't be one of them.
Mr Abbott is due to arrive in Bali for the annual APEC meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders on Sunday night.
It will be his first international summit since winning the top job last month, and only his second overseas trip.
Trade will be high on his agenda, particularly the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which seek to establish a grand free trade area that would include Australia and 11 other Asia-Pacific nations.
But there are doubts about whether the TPP talks will be able to make much progress without Mr Obama.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Mr Abbott had hoped to hold his first official meeting with Mr Obama on APEC's sidelines but the US president was forced to cancel his travel because of the ongoing US government shutdown.
"It's entirely understandable that he has to make that a priority," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in Bali on Saturday.
But Mr Abbott will be in a position to meet with a number of other powerful figures, including the leaders of China, Japan and Russia.
If he does meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin there will inevitably be some discussion about the piracy charge Russian authorities have levelled against Australian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell.
Ms Bishop has already raised concerns about the charge with a Russian deputy minister on APEC's sidelines.
Mr Abbott will also be in a position to hold further talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is hosting APEC. The pair met earlier this month when Mr Abbott travelled to Jakarta.
After APEC wraps up on Tuesday, Mr Abbott will head to the sultanate of Brunei for what's known as the East Asia Summit.
It brings together the leaders of the 10 ASEAN South-East Asian nations, plus Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.
The EAS will be focused more in regional and global security issues, such as North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea.
Mr Abbott is expected to head back to Australia on Thursday.
