Taxpayer-funded ploy without approval?

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 8

Taxpayer-funded ploy without approval?

By

BRENDON BURNS,

political reporter

The taxpayer-funded attempt at spoiling National’s campaign opening does not appear to have had the approval of the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. An Associate Minister of Finance, Mr Prebble, had flown to Hastings a week ago, held a press conference at a hired hotel function room and drove back to Wellington in a Crown car. He said he had travelled at the taxpayers’ expense to challenge the

Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, to reveal positive polices in his campaign opening that evening. At yesterday’s postCabinet news conference, Mr Lange said Labour’s election campaign was deliberately not knocking opponents. Questioned about whether Mr Prebble’s Hastings visit was an aberration from that strategy, Mr Lange said it was not. “It was designed to have the National Party come out with some policy.”

Asked if Mr Prebble’s visit had his knowledge and approval, Mr Lange did not directly reply.

He said Mr Prebble was a succesful political activist who had drawn attention to National party spending promises while also pledging to cut tax.

Reporter: That wasn’t the question. Did he have your knowledge and approval?

Mr Lange: “Of course I knew he was going.” Reporter: You approved his spending public money? Mr Lange: I don’t know

about public money but he was certainly performing a public political service.

Reporter: Wasn’t it paid by the taxpayer? Mr' Lange: Everything we do is paid by the taxpayer, basically. He said his flight to Christchurch for last evening’s Labour campaign opening was at the taxpayers’ expense. It had to be understood, said Mr Lange, that whether expenses were incurred on party or parliamentary business, this was the right of M.P.S.