Poor Prime Minister Gillard. First, Hillary Clinton refers to Gillard’s nemesis, Kevin Rudd, as being the current Prime Minister of Australia. And now during the G20 meeting in Korea, we find an official display figurine of Prime Minister Gillard sporting the Aussie national costume. Except that it isn’t.

It’s definitely a dirndl which is worn in some parts of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

The costume consists of a bodice, blouse and full skirt and is very fetching indeed, but I can’t quite imagine the Prime Minister of Australia discarding her comfortable pantsuits for the colourful peasant garb.

I have to admit that there is a niggling desire in my mischievous mind to see her front up to an official G20 function in a dirndl. I guarantee that if she did that nobody would confuse Austria and Australia in the future. Go ahead and do it, Julia… please…