Friday, 2nd September, 2005

Sharing a cover line on the Women's Weekly with Rove suggests that Peter Costello's campaign for the Prime Ministership is coming along nicely. There's the Treasurer in the "New size, new look" September edition, the only politician talking about "Me and My Dad" along with Mr McManus and a collection of celebrities. A perfect piece of image making for a man on the eve of leading his country. While your average political correspondent might not realise it, the Weekly is perhaps the most influential publication in the land. Having his picture with Phoebe, 11, Madeleine, 17, and Sebastian, 18, while talking about what he has learned from his children, presents another, warmer side of the leadership hopeful.

Giving other perspectives of the man who Australians have seen for a decade in the one dimensional role of Treasurer is occupying a lot of Peter Costello's time these days. He has been outback studying the problems of Aboriginal poverty with the television cameras in tow and next week he is off to Aceh to see first hand how Australia's $1 billion of aid money is being spent on reconstruction. It is all part of the necessary process of broadening the image of John Howard's designated successor.

The successor I still think he will be. And in much less than a year too. The Prime Minister to my eyes is acting very much like a man playing out the final months of a distinguished decade on top. With the example of Sir Robert Menzies very much in his mind, Mr Howard will want to go out a winner. Having Mr Costello show Australians talents other than his financial ones would be an important part of an orderly succession plan.