ONLINE
\nCanberra
\nAs Australia\u2019s fifth prime minister since 2013, Scott Morrison could probably forgive German Chancellor Angela Merkel for doing some quick study before their first meeting.
\nAs the pair sat down together at the G20 summit, cameras captured Mrs Merkel reading an apparent briefing note about Mr Morrison. It also carried his image.
\nMany watching on from afar were amused, not least people in Australia.
\nIts government denied that the incident was embarrassing for either nation.
\n\u201cAngela Merkel\u2019s department, no doubt… was simply ensuring that the chancellor was properly briefed,\u201d Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Monday.
\nBirmingham said it was common for such briefing notes to feature a picture alongside a biography.
\nHowever, many noted that the scene appeared a bit awkward.
\nWho is this? Australians can probably relate to Angela Merkel\u2019s predicament,\u201d read a headline in The Sydney Morning Herald.
\nMorrison became prime minister in August after his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, was forced out by party rivals.
\nTurnbull was the fourth Australian leader to be deposed in this way since 2010. Mrs Merkel, by contrast, has been Germany\u2019s leader since 2005.
\nUS President Donald Trump also asked Mr Morrison about the leadership change when the pair met earlier at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
\n\u201cWe just ran through what the events were,\u201d Mr Morrison told reporters of the conversation.
\nMr Morrison\u2019s centre-right coalition fell into minority government after losing a recent by-election, and remains behind the Labor opposition in opinion polls.
\nAustralians are due to vote in a general election next year, most likely in May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ONLINE Canberra As Australia\u2019s fifth prime minister since 2013, Scott Morrison could probably forgive German Chancellor Angela Merkel for doing some quick study before their first meeting. As the pair sat down together at the G20 summit, cameras captured Mrs Merkel reading an apparent briefing note about Mr Morrison. It also carried his image. Many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n