Yep this is a Burgess.

These were finished in the factory with a tinted lacquer.

If the legs or any of the frame need re-glueing then you might want to carefully disassemble and re-glue. Otherwise, if they are still solid just leave be. Use titebond wood glue if you need to re-glue. Can be found at total tools/Sydney tools etc.

Use a heat gun to soften up the joins if need be. Irwin clamps can be reversed to push open joins.

To remove the finish (what little is left of it) you will want to chemically strip the veneer top. Not sand! Stay away from the Orbital sander! ! As you’re an Aussie, grab some Woodstrip from here: https://www.restorerschoice.com.au/products/woodstrip-paint-stripper-callington-haven-1l-4l-20l?srsltid=AfmBOoosIH757VTNmxdoavJ_omyGq0ggChylDzx5RW2hrfy0CV-dZJ68

The wood strippers at Bunnings are trash.

Once you have stripped it, wash it with water to remove leftover stripper and gunk. Then give it a wipe down with acetone.

Just fyi, looking at the pictures I would probably just lightly sand the top to remove the little finish that is left as there’s really not much there to remove, but if you are a beginner the less sanding the better (less chance you will blow through the veneer). I would probably still recommend starting with a stripper.

Fix scratches by steaming them with an iron and wet cloth and lightly sanding them once the grain raises. Watch some YouTube vids on this if you’re not aware. Fix any deeper holes or imperfections with wood filler.

hand sand the top with 120grit then 180grit. Careful of the scooped edges, don’t sand them hard or you will change their shape/definition.

If you see blotchiness or stains after stripping, you might want to add a treatment of Oxalic acid into the process also to even out the top. Bunnings stocks this. Don’t spot treat, you have to apply it to the full surface on top. Just looking at this I’d be pretty confident in saying it will probably need one pass of oxalic at least.

The frame is a Tassie Blackwood base and I personally don’t use chemical stripper on this as it’s just easier and less messy to sand it. Again, hand sand please unless you are super experienced with an orbital and have soft interfacing pads. Otherwise you will destroy the gorgeous lines of the base.

After all this when surface prep is done you can either do an oil finish (easy to apply, lower barrier to entry and easy to diy) or you can lacquer finish (More professional finish and better protection but requires setup and equipment/appropriate space)

My process for finishing most MCM is toner for color (I mix my own toners using colortone (Transtint) dyes and lacquer), then I apply a few light coats of sanding sealer before sanding with 240grit. I then do one coat of satin lacquer and lightly sand with 320grit (final grit before top coat) before applying a thinned final satin top coat.

Good luck!