AT WHAT COST

Australian taxpayers should be very concerned. Taking over Norfolk Island may cost you a great deal of money. If you are concerned about massive amounts of money being poured into Aboriginal affairs, and into Cocos and Christmas Islands territories, without much evidence of improving quality of life and standard of living for those people, then you should be asking questions about this latest turn of events.
We are being promised great improvements in our infrastructure and delivery of services this week, as the Minister seeks to sell his package. Some of these improvements would be nice to have, but they do have to be paid for. No doubt the plan would involve us contributing through Australian taxes. That only makes sense. We are used to paying for what we enjoy. Up until now, we have paid for almost everything. And because we are a small place, with a limited population (fewer than 2000), we have kept our wants modest in accordance with our real needs. We have done our housekeeping, and paid for what we can afford.
The changes will have a massive spiralling inflationary effect, and the Australian Government will receive very little from us in return for what they will need to spend. And we will not necessarily be better off.
Some examples.
Many of our temporary personnel, such as doctors, teachers, bank managers, Administration personnel such as legal counsel, receive a salary somewhat equivalent to what they would get in Australia, but without income tax being deducted on what is earned here. Even allowing for a higher cost of living, it is an attractive package, and enables us to select good candidates by merit. If these people are to be required to pay Australian income tax, we will need to offer extra incentives and perks to attract quality applicants to these positions.
At a senior citizens gathering yesterday, Minister Jim Lloyd promised an up-to-date Aged Care Facility. Our present one, which only has a handful of patients, is part of our 22 bed hospital, and uses the same staff and facilities. It is a very rational and sensible way of doing it. The doctors are always close at hand. The elderly enjoy seeing the comings and goings of people to the doctor, the baby clinic and the dentist, and many call in to the seniors Ward to say hello. The hospital Auxiliary extends its help and assistance to this part of the hospital with various comforts and furnishings.
A new purpose built Aged Care home would probably be in a quieter, but more isolated and lonely place. It would need all its own staff, and catering and cleaning services for a start. It would be far more costly to run, and also costly to those wishing to use the facility. And none of this would necessarily result in a better level of care or caring.
Childcare is another case in point. We have a number of daycare places, small numbers, modest facilities perhaps, but caring, happy, healthy and friendly places. The charges are modest, giv ing greater access to all. Under an Australian Social Services regime, there will be childcare subsidies. The facilities will be required to register, and to do this will no doubt need to carry out massive upgrades to meet mainland standards that are not necessarily appropriate for a small island community. The centres will cost more to run, the government will pay out big amounts of money, and the parents may well still pay out more ...without necessarily getting a better level of real caring for their children.
These are only three scenarios, barely skimming the surface.
Big city and suburban solutions for small island problems can be expensive and ineffective. We know best what we need, and we do not need to be strangled and crippled by demands and policies of big government, who think any need can be met by throwing money at it.
If we are forced to surrender the measure of independence and trust we have enjoyed up until now, you can be sure the feeling of many Norfolkers will be "Let us get everything out of Australia we can, to make up for what we have lost." You see, you will have taken away our pride in managing for ourselves, sorting out our own problems, taking responsibility for our own needs and actions, caring for own own people.
A recent Senate Standing Committee noted that Australia spends more than $60 million on Christmas Island (where there is 60% unemployment) while Norfolk Island has been operating on a self-generated budget of closer to $20 million (with almost no unemployment.) The information was actually used as a criticism that we were not meeting our commitments to our people! No pat on the back for resourcefulness and good management.
The minister's visit, with his entourage, the glossy brochure, the functions held to sell the Commonwealth's proposals.....all this would have been an expensive exercise. But it was nothing to what it may cost Australians in the future.