【Dear Utol (2025): Catfish Episode 46】

Government advertisements usually fall into two different categories: They're either forgettable,Dear Utol (2025): Catfish Episode 46 or they're really, really bad.

This ad for Australia's Department of Finance falls into the latter category. It's to promote its graduate program, but we can't help feel that some people might delete their applications after watching the video.

It features staffers from the organisation, hampered by a terribly awkward script and acting that's more wooden than Queen Anne's Revenge. You'll just have to see it for yourself.

Okay, there's a lot to unpack here, but we'll try.

Firstly, a woman announces to a pair of colleagues talking about a presentation that she's going downstairs for some "paleo pear and banana bread." Unironically.

The woman joins the man, and she discusses how great it is to work on a "project supporting a modernisation program across government." Who even says that?

"Awesome! I'm working on a project in property and construction. Hey, are you going to the young leaders network dinner tonight," the man replies.

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Skip to a group of graduates enjoying a coffee, and who discuss how great it is to be able to talk to executives, presumably without being spat on by their superiors. Let's all work at the Department of Finance!

Fast forward to another scene, where a staffer calls out a workmate: "Hey buddy! Sorry, I've got to do that every time. It's because we're in the buddy program."

The man asks the woman if she's had a look through graduates yet as part of the "buddy program," which she has.

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"We had one yesterday at lunch time. Tom couldn't make it, so we just Skyped him in," she said, even though Skype at work is a pretty standard thing everywhere else.

Also, did anyone notice throughout the video there's all these staffers chatting about presentations, yet we never actually see one?

It seems like a parody, but the three-minute video reportedly cost the department A$4,000 (US$3,056) to make, according to ABC News.

But hey, perhaps there's no such thing as bad publicity.

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