CRUCIAL TALKS

Most people would agree that during this whole process of exploring changes to Norfolk's governance, it is the Commonwealth Government that has always had the upper hand. Not only have they assumed the legal and constitutional "right" to take these actions, but ever since the Minister's announcement on February 20th, they are the ones who have set the agenda with the announcements, the pamphlets, the reports and the visits. The terms and the timing have been theirs, and they have had the added advantage of a process of planning and departmental and governmental deliberations that have been going on much longer than most of us realise.
The only "choice" we have been offered is a contribution to the debate on which of the two models of governance would finally be imposed on this island. Canberra has offered no message of hope for our ability to depart from this narrow path.
Nevertheless, there was a slight element of optimism -temperd by a great deal of cautiousness and realism - as our four Government Ministers travelled to Canberra for serious talks ...talks that should have taken place long ago. The reason our expectations were raised, ever so slightly, was that they went armed with the Econtech Report. This was an independent economic report commissioned by our Government, to look at our economic and financial position and prospects.
Not only has Econtech presented a very different picture to that of the Acumen Report, which the Commonwealth had used as the rationale for assuming greater control of our affairs, but to a degree it discredits Acumen. It would seem that if all the principles and models used by Acumen were applied to Federal Finances, they too would appear to be in deep water, and sinking rather than swimming! Moreover, Econtech is a highly reputable organisation, whose economic modelling has been used by the Commonwealth Government itself on occasions.
It was with some alarm that we heard the initial media reports of the Canberra meeting early this morning. It would appear that once again our Canberra friends had wanted to get in first, and put their own view and version as a foregone conclusion.
However, when our own Chief Minister spoke with the island's people, prior to speaking with the media, we learned that while the discussions had been positive and productive, things were not cut and dried, and deliberations were to continue in the near future.
Not only does our Government need to convince Canberra of our ability to achieve economic sustainability, but it is important to retain our control over Immigration, Customs and Quarantine. Loss of control of those areas would not only bring us irrevocably within Australia's borders, but it would threaten our identity and much of what underpins our viability as a separate and unique community.
Meanwhile, I believe that the Commonwealth's economic arguments are appearing progressively weaker. We are working positively through our present and temporary economic difficulties. This is in spite of Canberra's continuing attempts to obstruct our own government's measures to stimulate our economy and increase our revenues.
It is time for Canberra to go back to the drawing board. And it is also time to allow us control over the decisions that determine our future.
Help us, but don't try to do it for us.
Because it is our wellbeing and welfare, our heritage and future, that are at stake, and we want to continue to show that even a smallcommunity such as ours can be strong and proud.