PLAYING CHARADES

If you were reading Saturday's Norfolk Islander you may have thought you were seeing double. The front page had two different announcements about an invitation from Minister Jim Lloyd to our own Government Ministers to attend a meeting in Canberra. The press release from our own Chief Minister stated that he welcomed the opportunity to meet, and that that a suitable date was being negotiated, but he felt it was important to have the preliminary report from Commonwealth Grants Commission in the Government's hands before the meeting should take place.
The Minister's announcement was a little less gracious. In fact, it sounded somewhat petulant. He said he had not received any formal reply from our government (although many of us here have been aware of our government's readiness to travel to Canberra to take part in these talks for several days now.) He also sounded somewhat miffed that the date he had set was not automatically being agreed to, because of the urgency of the wonderful plan of salvation that Canberra has prepared for our financial and economic stability here on Norfolk Island...as if a few days are going to matter!
So because he cannot get his own way, once again Minster Lloyd uses the tactic of going to our local press, in order to "tell tales" and hopefully to embarrass or discredit our own M.L.A.s
His action is demeaning to say the least. Surely if he has a concern, or wants more information, or wishes to negotiate or resolve a little issue like the date and time of a meeting, he should go direct to our own government members. This would be the ethical and diplomatic way of doing things.
Yes, I know the Minister feels trapped. The Cabinet has made a decision about governance on Norfolk Island, and has given him the unenviable task of seeing it carried out. Perhaps he really believed we would all sit down quietly and accept it, and let the process go smoothly for him.
But whatever the Minister's difficulties and frustrations, he should pause to think what it is like for our own government. The Canberra meeting is referred to in terms such as "ongoing dialogue", "high level talks", "ongoing consultations", "serious talks."
But do not be fooled. It is none of these things. If Canberra has its way, it will be a carefully scripted charade.
For a start, the focus of the meeting is to be the two models of governance outlined by the Australian Government. No more, no less. But the Minister has yet to demonstrate to our own government, and many in the community, why these proposals are the only way of solving any financial problems we may be experiencing. They cannot even assure us that they will not have a very negative and damaging effect on our economy!
Canberra has set the agenda for these talks, just as they have set the terms of reference for all the inquiries and studies. Their terms, their agenda and their timing. Norfolk Island has been allowed no input. And now, it seems, he thinks it is okay for our Government to come to the meeting without the advantage of some of the information from the Grants Commission that may be useful or helpful. In fact, lack of real information at a government level has put our own MLA's at a disadvantage right from the start.
It is to be hoped (I told you I was an optimist) that this meeting will be an opportunity for our own Ministers to raise some issues, and that "dialogue" will not just be a euphemism for a process of talking in which Canberra calls all the shots. Let us hope that Canberra will do some genuine listening and some open-ended consulting.
It is also to be hoped that Minister Lloyd and his colleagues will take a short course in communication, good manners and diplomacy, and that they will cultivate the qualities of equity and respect in their dealings with our own elected government representatives.
But I won't hold my breath.