Burgess’s future in Lange’s hands

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 8

Burgess’s future in Lange’s hands

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

A Cabinet decision on November 28 seems to have put the future of the Minister of Finance’s press officer, Mr Bevan Burgess, in the hands of a Prime Minister who wants him out of the Beehive. The decision has returned to Mr Lange a power that had previously been delegated to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Palmer.

This power is to vet and veto the appointment of contract staff in the Beehive or the renewal of their contract. What is not clear from the Cabinet minutes is whether this power reverts totally to Mr Lange or whether he shares it

with Mr Palmer.

Either way, the reports from the Beehive claim that Mr Lange is using the power to ensure that Mr Burgess’s contract is not renewed.

Mr Burgess has been the speech writer and press officer of the Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas, since late 1984. He has been among Mr Douglas’s staunchest advocates, particularly as other of the Minister’s confidantes among his staff have resigned to pursue their careers elsewhere.

But in Mr Lange’s eyes Mr Burgess has become increasingly suspect as one of the people he believes have been running a campaign of destabilisation against him all this

year. That campaign has in turn affected Mr Lange’s ability to work closely with Mr Douglas and is raising doubts in Parliament if Mr Douglas can himself survive as Minister of Finance.

Already Mr Lange’s determination to be master in his own house — with the authority as well as the responsibility of Prime Minister — has led to the sacking of Mr Richard Prebble from the Cabinet and the nearsacking of Mr Peter Neilson as an Associate Minister.

The November 28 Cabinet meeting that made the decision was held when Mr Douglas and Mr Burgess were out of the country.