ABS offends in creativity. The Australian Bureau of Statistics got a little creative in its approach to marketing the census, as Crikey reported yesterday. But one of its plays to a younger market was a little off-colour for some. A number of YouTube cartoons — “Melrose Mews” — were made to engage the younger demographic, but this one featuring a paranoid (and perhaps mentally unwell) man afraid of privacy breaches didn’t go down well …

The ABS confirms to Crikey the promo was pulled from its own platforms. Paul Lowe, head of the census program, said:

“The intent of episode three of Melrose Mews video was to raise awareness of how the ABS treats people’s personal information provided in the census and protects their privacy. It was not intended to offend any viewers. The census is for all Australians, and the ABS removed episode three of the video series as soon as it was aware it may have been misinterpreted.”

CSIRO: ahhh, that’s interesting. But don’t for a moment think the ABS is the only government department with a funny bone. Those funsters at the CSIRO are cracking themselves up with gags in their communications, even if some of it gets lost in translation. Media Liaison Manager Huw Morgan writes:

I would like to place on the record that CSIRO at certain times does engage in ‘humour’. However, as we are a science-based organisation the humour does have to be peer-reviewed before it can be released to the general public. As the peer review process can involve international colleagues, the humour is sometimes lost in translation. A recent example:

“The sum of these data and data with other effectors was used to postulate that the RXLR motif mediates effector entry into host cells through the uptake motif binding to PIPs exposed on the external surface of the plant plasma membrane, which stimulates endocytosis of effectors into plant cells.”

Among Australian scientists this is a cracker and sure to split lab coats, but in North America exposed PIPs on the external surface on the plant plasma membrane are consider a bit risqué and therefore the humour was not passed.

Some of our young communications people (average age of CSIRO staff – 55 in the shade) have been attempting humour through Twitter (@CSIROnews). Our media releases carry the tag: “Ahhh… That’s Interesting.” Admittedly a long way off champagne comedy, but we try.

MPs living out of home. Lots of feedback after our call to list the pollies who don’t live in their own electorates. We’re investigating further, so keep them coming — on email or via our anonymous tips form. And thanks to the disgruntled constituent who pointed out the obvious: “My electorate is Lalor — MP is resident in a mansion in Canberra.”

No Life in death humour. The Give Life Centre clearly got the tone wrong in a recent fax-out …