‘Alarming’ standards of voc training. Does government have a training problem on its hands? One vocational education and training sector consultant writes:

“I’m increasingly alarmed by the low standards of training within the sector, particularly for workplace-based training, including cases of faked recognition for prior learning, very low training hours and work requirements, and ignoring the requirement to withdrawn trainees to do learning. This is all particularly egregious when you consider how much money is being paid by government (state and federal) for qualifications that are really just based on ‘tick and flick’ assessment.

“Also, the recent introduction of the Victorian Training Guarantee means that many RTOs are ‘double dipping’. They are charging the VTG scheme for trainees in workplaces, and then also taking federal funding from employers. This is not illegal at the moment, but is certainly against the spirit of the funding provision.”

Are they onto something? We’d love to hear more — email us or tip us anonymously.

Voices unite in acting fight. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has been rallying its acting division through its “Aussie Voices” campaign to prevent the Gillard government relaxing rules on foreign imports, as previously noted by Crikey. But the recruitment drive is set to kick up a notch this Sunday, with moles reporting the union has been on the blower to bring lapsed members — many of whom are unemployed — back into the fold.

The union’s Equity division chief Simon Whipp hopes that the ra ra session at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre, set to feature most of the cast of Offspring, will help force the PM’s hand. We’ll let you know.

Air traffic control ‘restrictions’. Why did Airservices Australia not inform airlines and pilots yesterday that Brisbane Airport air traffic control was severely limited due to staff shortages, asks one spy. “The euphemism ‘operational restrictions’ is both non-descriptive and evasive. When is minister Albanese going to intervene on the mis-management of this organisation?”

Transfer delays at NAB. We love a good banking whinge. And NAB is likely to cop plenty of heat for this, as one unhappy customer reports:

“NAB’s latest money-making ploy is to delay funds transferred from one NAB account to another NAB account, not for 24 hours (which is totally unnecessary anyway), but for two days, giving themselves access to the funds ‘in limbo’ (debited from one account, but not credited to the other) to invest in the short-term money market. Nice work if you can get it! Unfortunately, it meant that I had insufficient funds for my mortgage payment. I deal with a senior partner — he agrees the behaviour is unconscionable, and that I will not be penalised, but not everyone has access to such people.”

Haigh’s tongue in Rupert’s bum? Noted cricket commentator and writing all-rounder Gideon Haigh joins The Australian this week, much to its jubilation. So we couldn’t help but remember a 2006 piece Haigh wrote in The Monthly, where he referred to the “tongue-in-bum coverage of Rupert Murdoch in his newspapers”. It’s unclear whether Haigh maintains the view.

Benson in the bargain bin. Spotted: Daily Telegraph chief political reporter Simon Benson’s Betrayal: The Underbelly of Australian Labor is selling for $2 at Borders’ closing down sale at Melbourne Central.