Malcolm Turnbull and Angela Merkel are at opposite ends of their careers.
But the two leaders share a number of similarities.
Merkel knocks up a decade in power on November 22 and finds herself pondering whether to run for a fourth term in 2017.
Turnbull is still in the honeymoon phase of his leadership, having ousted Tony Abbott in September and potentially being 10 months out from his first election campaign as Liberal leader.
Merkel has kept Germany at the forefront of issues from climate change to economic reform.
Most recently she's been in thick of fixing the Greek economic crisis, dealing with Vladimir Putin's military exploits, tackling the rise of Islamic and right-wing extremism, and soothing unrest in Britain about the European Union's future.
She also faces dissent within her own political ranks, as well as anti-Muslim and anti-immigration groups, over her willingness to accept the flood of refugees from the Middle East and north Africa.
But her humanitarian approach still has strong public support, even as other leaders such as Hungary's Viktor Orban puts up barbed-wire fences.
Turnbull is still something of a blank slate.
He is making his first major international trip, meeting with Indonesia's Joko Widodo and Merkel, before diving into the diplomatic deep end at the G20, APEC and East Asia Summit.
Domestically, he has yet to deliver a mid-year budget update, let alone a budget.
And he has inherited a range of Abbott government policies on climate change and refugees of which has been critical in the past, but must support to keep conservative allies on side.
However, he praises Merkel's commitment to an open and tolerant society.
And he is determined to work more closely with her on climate and clean energy technology as Germany exits from nuclear power.
Whether Turnbull can emulate Merkel's political success remains to be seen.
Share
