WESLEY'S $160,000 MAN IN SPOTLIGHT

Wesley Central Mission's controversial superintendent, the Reverend
Tim Langley, is facing a dramatic pay cut after the Uniting Church
ordered an investigation of his estimated $160,000 salary package.

The review, hammered out during intense meetings yesterday, will also
probe Wesley's operation, management and funding, and could result in
Mr Langley being asked to stand aside.

The Uniting Church moderator, the Reverend Pam Kerr, said last night
she was concerned about Mr Langley's salary package, which includes
use of a luxury $500,000 apartment at the Rockman Regency Towers. The
package, described by church leaders including Baptist Union
president, Reverend Tim Costello, as "shocking", was inappropriate for
a minister, Ms Kerr said. She said senior church official and Wesley
board member, the Reverend John Rickard, was negotiating with Mr
Langley to bring the package back to the church standard - around $40,000.

"We have a proposal to bring it back in line with the regular
stipend," she said. Mr Costello, who earns $45,000 a year, said the
package was very worrying. "You can't preach and practise social
justice and live on executive salaries," he said.

The deal, which Mr Langley largely inherited from his predecessor, the
Reverend Kevin Green, has not previously been disclosed to
parishioners. Some of them said today they were under the impression
he got about $45,000. It was negotiated by the executive committee of
Wesley's board, but not revealed to the church council, the
congregration, or the presbytery, the regional church group.

"The lack of transparency in this matter is regrettable," said Ms
Kerr, the Uniting Church's top State official. According to a Wesley
insider, the package was linked to that of Wesley managing director
Judy Leitch. Mr Langley, who it is believed appointed Ms Leitch, would
get around 90 per cent of her package, said to be worth $178,000. Both
Mr Langley and Ms Leitch refused to speak to The Age yesterday, but
church sources confirmed the pay arrangement and the outrage it had
aroused.

Early in the day, when the secretary of Wesley's church council,
former deputy prime minister Brian Howe arrived at Uniting Church
House in Little Collins Street with other senior church figures, there
was talk of Mr Langley being asked to stand aside. Mr Howe saw Ms Kerr
on Wednesday and raised concerns about the mission and Mr Langley's
management style. As a result of that, and concerns about Wesley
clerics and staff attacking each other and the reputation of the
mission, Ms Kerr decided action needed to be taken.

"I just can't believe it has got this bad," one church insider said
yesterday. The crisis has its roots in secret negotiations Mr Langley
entered into with the former Kennett Government last year, and spilt
over when the Melbourne City Council earlier this week rejected the
mission's bid to open Victoria's first supervised heroin injecting
room.

The bid has left a $500,000 injecting facility sitting idle on the
mission's Lonsdale Street site, and soured relations with local
community groups, the State Government, and the council.

Ms Kerr admitted links with the local community had been badly
damaged. "There certainly is a deep rift," she said. "We hope it can
be overcome."

Ronald Butters, secretary of the residents' group Eastenders, wrote to
Mr Howe last month, describing his meetings with Mr Langley thus: "The
first words from Rev Langley were; "Are you concealing recording
devices concealed about your persons?"

Mr Langley, a New Zealander who took over the Wesley position in 1998,
has been under attack from his own congregration and church council
over failing to consult. Some church elders say he has kept them in
the dark, notably over the injecting room.

He has fallen out with Wesley's parish priest, the Reverend Peter
Gador-Whyte, who has disagreed with his "secret" management style and
dealing with neighbors. Mr Langley exchanged words with Mr Gador-Whyte
yesterday morning, and then had three staff members whom Mr
Gador-Whyte had praised for their professionalism - nurse Jo Becket,
project manager Bernie Durkin and media manager Colleen Coghlan - stood down.

Asked about this last night, Ms Kerr said a church group outside
Wesley would be asked to review the relationship between Mr Langley
and Mr Gador-Whyte, and their roles. "We want to encourage the fair
treatment of all those involved."

Ms Kerr said that while parish missions like Wesley are largely
autonomous, they are still subject to church intervention. "Because of
events in the past few months where concerns are raised about the
ongoing life of Wesley Mission, I have initiated the two reviews. "I
am concerned about the lack of clarity in the different arms of the
mission, which has led to some tensions. There is a lack of
transparency in decision-making," she said.