It was supposed to be a light-hearted aside in praise of the can-do approach of Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. But an anecdote by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his address to Parliament has inadvertently shed light on the Abbott government's much-criticised path to committing health workers to the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

The government offered to send doctors and nurses to Sierra Leone more than three weeks before informing the public.

David Cameron addresses Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

During his speech, Mr Cameron recalled running into Ms Bishop at a summit in Italy.

"Only last month, your Foreign Minister strode across the room towards me … I wondered for a moment whether I was heading for what I'm told we now need to call a shirt-fronting," he said.