New invention: a replacement show. What’s the future of popular ABC show The New Inventors? Management is keeping mum, but apparently staff found next year’s program line-up at the photocopier and discovered a new show in the timeslot — Frank Woodley’s new comedy Woodley. They’re less than impressed by the lack of communication.

ABC TV Director Kim Dalton tells Crikey simply that “television is not a static business”. “Planning is ongoing around programming, the production slate and the management of resources,” he said in a statement. So no announcement yet …

Qantas’ interchangeable craft. With a lick of paint, a Qantas plane can become a Jetstar flight. But who’s paying the bill? An aviation insider writes:

“Qantas A330 aircraft are having scheduled heavy maintenance that is being billed to the Qantas long-haul division. Unfortunately prior to the aircraft going back online they are having a quick paint job and rolling out onto Jetstar services in Jetstar livery at no cost to Jetstar. Additionally, Jetstar aircraft are having scheduled heavy maintenance and prior to roll-out are also having a quick paint job into Qantas livery and Qantas long haul is getting charged again.

“Recently, a Jetstar International A330 went unserviceable in Sydney. So, not to disappoint Jetstar passengers heading to Honolulu, a Qantas long-haul A330 was removed off it’s scheduled Narita service and dispatched to Hawaii. The Qantas long-haul division then had to cover the cost of Japan-headed passengers now stranded in Sydney and Sydney-headed passengers left high and dry in Japan.”

Manufacturing anti-carbon feeling. Parliamentary secretary Mark Dreyfus should prepare for a hostile reception at an AGM for a manufacturing employer group in Dandenong, Melbourne, next Wednesday night. Crikey hears an unofficial protest is planned to take place inside and outside the meeting against the carbon tax. Our mole says the local member has stood them up before so they won’t be surprised if he again sends a written statement in his place.

UWA cutbacks in engineering. Western Australia is crying out for engineers, so questions are being asked about cuts to the University of WA’s engineering faculty. Our tipster says there’s been “big cuts” in staff and quality:

“Staff who remain have new performance measures that sabotage quality and promote bigger class size. Tutorial sizes are growing and being taught by other students who barely out rank the class. This year UWA is considering not funding the school’s top engineering students to the country’s most prestigious mechanical engineering prize the Weir Minerals Competition, which the school has a proud history of winning, due to budget cuts. Top students are on the lookout for opportunities to move overseas or interstate as a direct result of the drop in quality. Such a paradox as a faltering engineering school in WA is ridiculous and the industry should be up in arms.”

So are they? We’d like to know more: email us or leave an anonymous tip.