BREAKING THE SILENCE
It is some weeks since I attended to this blog. Thanks and apologies to all those people overseas who have said they have missed being able to log on and keep up with what is happening and the feeling on the island.
The fact is that we have been in what I can best describe as a "holding pattern."
Our own Assembly executives met with the Minister back on August 21st, although Jim Lloyd only gave them a morning of his time, before going off to issue a press release on his own version of what had ensued at the meeting.(DOTARS personnel and sundry officials were left to deal with the remainder of the day's business.)
Our own government subsequently insisted on a joint Press release, in which they made it known that they had laid on the table matters which went beyond the Australian Government's very narrow agenda for dealing with the Norfolk Island Governance issue. These matters included the Econtech report, which calls into question the economic sustainability concerns in the Acumen report which the Australian Government has used as the basis and rationale for the massive changes it wants to impose on this island. The Norfolk Island Government also took to the meeting a number of suggestions and proposals which addressed the concerns Australia had voiced over border security, accountability and other related matters.
There followed some weeks of silence, even though the Norfolk Government had expressed a strong wish to continue with discussions and negotiations. The Grants Commission came and went, but at least they took the trouble to talk, ask questions and obtain feedback. The "independent" Economic Impact Assessment was undertaken, with the relevant personnel commissioned to carry it out slipping quietly in and out of the island, barely stopping to ask any of us in the community how we would be affected by the changes. One must wonder about the quality control of that particular exercise! They are not even obliged to release their findings to us for comment or feedback!
Back to the silence. Was the Minister somewhat taken back that we would dare to try to steer the agenda, and restore some balance to the negotiations? Was he finding it difficult to discredit the Econtech findings, which put such a different light on the issue of our financial situation? Was the Commonwealth Government hoping that a period of non-communication would make us more anxious to bring about a resolution, in any form, so that we could move forward with some certainty? Or have he and his colleagues been too pre-occupied with the fall-out from their bullying tactics in New Guinea and the Solomons?
Meanwhile we have been getting on with our lives, engaging with one another and supporting one another in the Norfolk way. Yes, we have had problems to deal with, but we have faced up to them with good old-fashioned Norfolk resourcefulness and hard work. We continue to value each day on this beautiful and special island, and vow to retain its uniqueness.
Now the Minister has come back to us with a new press release, which is extremely alarming, and shows little evidence that Canberra has done any genuine listening. Our own government has also received a communication in recent days from the Minister, which, I believe, is equally disturbing, in that it is obviously designed to deter our own government from any future plans to contribute anything which lies outside Canberra's pre-conceived and pre-determined plans.
Meanwhile, the important High Court Case is set for Tuesday 7th November at 10.15 a.m. A number of Norfolkers will be there. If you have this island's best interests at heart, and can organise the journey and the time, why not join them?