Political appointments at Beehive ‘not new’

Press, 12 February 1986, Page 48

Political appointments at Beehive ‘not new’

PA Wellington Government Ministers had been making political appointments to personal staff for years, according to the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. “That has been happening under both administrations,” he said. Mr Lange was commenting on reports that Beehive staff were concerned that job security was threatened by the political appointment of outsiders working on highly paid contracts. Recent reports on the removal of Mr Boyd Dunlop, a private secretary to the Minster of Housing, Mr Goff, were said to have worried members of the Internal Affairs-ad-ministered secretarial corps.

Mr Dunlop made an unscheduled return to his office while on leave and was told his appointment had been terminated and he would be transferred to the Department of Internal Affairs, the “Evening Post” reported.' Mr Lange said Mr Dunlop’s status, income and employment were assured.

“There will not be a dismantling of the secretarial corps,” he said.

There was no question of any career termination. Mr Lange said his own private secretaries were drawn from the corps. “In my press office I have appointments which are outside that. They are on contract. None of them is a party activist or ever was party activist,” he said.*?

Corps staff were paid less because they would be there for “years and years.” Those who were on contract were on shortterm contracts. “If I were to be run over by a bus there would be quite a number of people on my floor out of a job,” Mr Lange said.

He said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, had as his personal press secretary “a woman from the private sector who says that her chief article of faith is her membership of the National Party and who left a job as a $50,000-a-year-plus person to work for him”.

Mr Lange said he did not see anything wrong with the "politicising” of Ministerial staff. “It’Sjjbeen going on foil years,«> he said. 4