COMING IN FOR THE KILL

You might wonder why Norfolk Island is not delighted that Australia is wanting to come in and help us with problems they feel we are currently experiencing in our economy, our tourism and our infrastructure. It would seem a very neighbourly thing to do, an expression of goodwill between Australia and the island territory it has oversight of. Canberra says it is coming in to help us before we face the insolvency that their "indisputable" reports say that we are heading for. Funnily enough, no one has ever been given the opportunity to dispute their view, and they have no intention of canvassing any other opinions, least of all ours.
It has become apparent, from listening to the experiences of those who met and spoke to the Minister during his visit, that our current problems have very little to do with the decision to annex Norfolk Island. The whole thing has been carefully considered and in the planning for a very long time, and the whole thing is well set in concrete, and the only flexibility will be in the smaller details.
We have been given two options....
*a modified self-government model with greater powers for Canberra and the imposition of Australian taxes and benefits, and all Commonwealth laws being extended to Norfolk Island.
*a local government model.
They say we are to be consulted widely about the detail, but there is no plan to offer us any other option.
One wonders, when the only difficulty they have been able to pinpoint is a current economic one (and we are still solvent), why the solution should be to change the whole government model, and to take away our responsibility for one of our biggest revenue earners, which is Customs.
What Canberra sees is this:
We have a downturn in tourism, which was exacerbated by the problems being experienced by the airline servicing the airline from Australia. This was a commercial business issue, not of our making, but the airline problems were leading to public relations issues and loss of confidence by travel agents. Before the problem got worse, our own government foreclosed on the airline, and has itself ensured a maintenance of flights since that time. It will take time to re-establish our market, but we have a great product here on the island, and we will succeed.
Instead of helping us with the airline issue at a government level, Canberra is taking advantage of the anxiety of those in the tourist industry and moving in for the kill.
Since the very beginnings of self-government, Canberra has reneged on commitments, failed to consult properly with our government, moved the goalposts in the progression of transfer of powers to us, and failed to compensate us for an infrastructure that was handed over to us in an unsatisfactory state in the first place. And now it is all our fault, even though the model they gave us was probably doomed to fail in the first place.
So now they say we cannot manage, even though their demands were unreasonable, and their genuine assistance non-existent.....and are moving in for the kill.
In recent years, we have been overwhelmed by repeated inquiries, commissions, ministerial visits. They have listened and consulted, so they say, but they have always given greater weight to the anecdotal views of a handful of disenchanted individuals than to the views of our government or the results of repeated referenda. In fact, one senator on the Senate Standing Committee actually acused us of manipulating referndum results and intimidating voters, which is laughable.
These inquiries (by senators with no guaranteed qualifications in these areas) have also been critical of our services and infrastructure, comparing them unfavourably to what they know (or think they know) of urban Australia. They have tried to convince people that they are deprived of their proper rights and services, and have sought to undermine confidence in our own government.
And now, with grand promises of giving us things that no rural community in Australia enjoys, they are moving in for the kill.
Canberra has commissioned economic reports that highlight potential problems with continuing to raise sufficient revenue to govern the island using our current revenue base. No one questions this. But the island has faced obstruction from Canberra in exploring other revenue bases.
When a GST was proposed, assistance was sought in developing the concept from both Australia and New Zealand, because of their experience. At first NZ happily agreed, but then they were apparently 'warned off. ' Canberra then proceeded to send over a tiny delegation for a whole two days, and that was the sum total of their assistance.
Canberra has also been very lukewarm with help to progress other revenue raising options such as Internet Gaming and Offshore Finance Centre.
There is no intention to help us canvas any other options either. Canberra's stand is non-negotiable.
They say our government model is financially unsustainable...they have brainwashed many people into believing it without proper evidence, and are moving in for the kill.
One of the bigger drains on our finances is health. Because of our isolation, we need to provide a level of service that is superior to that of a country town with reasonable access to a medical facility in a larger urban centre, or enjoying the services of the Royal Flying Doctor. I have already written about our excellent medical and support facilities, more than adequate for a small place. We have a Government Healthcare levy, which acts as a safety net after $2500 of expenses, which means that one can actually "self-insure" for the initial amount and be better off than they would be in a private health fund.
But our health service is costly, pharmaceuticals are not subsidised, and the government insurance scheme can be strained if there are a number of serious medical emergencies or costly long-term medical problems.
The RAAF used to provide a medical evacuation service, which was written off to "training." In recent years, this service has been completely withdrawn by Australia.
Original plans to provide Norfolk Island residents with reciprocal Medicare arrangements (such as are enjoyed by many other independent countries) were withdrawn nearly 20 years ago.
Even suggestions that our own Healthcare levy be paid into Medicare to give us access have not been taken up or pursued.
Yet we have still managed up until now.
Yet Canberra is trying to tell us we have an inferior health system, and is moving in for the kill.
There is currently some disenchantment in some sections of the community with our own government. Much of this is over issues with no bearing on our economy or anything else Caanberra has chosen to highlight. You will always get dissatisfaction with the current government, and Canberra knows that.
Yet Canberra is going to capitalise on the discontent and move in for the kill.
And the last straw is the Kingston pier, which Canberra (who owns it) has decided to restore at enormous cost, putting it out of action for many months. Our pier is our lifeline. We have another pier, in far worse condition, which can only be used if the seas and weather are right. It cannot be used during our prevailing winds. Currently a cargo ship has been out there waiting a fortnight to unload. This sort of thing greatly adds to the freight costs and cost of living here.The money so magnanimously allocated could have repaired Cascade pier, helped towards an all-weather breakwater, or developed wharf facilities in the much more sheltered Headstone area.
Meanwhile, we are inconvenienced, and more than that, we are being financially crippled by Canberra's action. One cannot help thinking it was all part of the plan.
A perfect time to move in for the kill?