Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but Australian prime minister Julia Gillard may not fully appreciate David Cameron's attempt to mimic her accent.
Speaking at the Lord Mayor's Banquet on Monday night, the prime minister recounted his recent visit to Australia where he chaired a meeting of the leaders of Commonwealth countries.
"I turned to the Australian prime minister and said, 'thank you very much for letting us have this meeting in Australia'."
"And she said, I can't quite do the accent but I'll try: 'Not a bit David, this is good news for Sheilas everywhere'."
His observation that he could "not quite" do the accent proved to be accurate. But at least he gave it a go.
It's not the first time the prime minister has raised eyebrows by attempting a foreign accent.
While opposition leader in 2009, Cameron imitated a German voice when explaining why he opposed plans for Labour's ID cards.
He suggested forcing British people to carry ID cards would lead to agents of the state stopping people to ask: (adopting a German accent) "Where are your papers".