BROAD OR NARROW

In February Canberra announced two broad options for change of Governance in Norfolk Island. However, time has proved these two options to be very narrow indeed, with no opportunities for meaningful input from the people of this island, and not even any encouraging signs that we may have any actual say in which option is finally chosen. Indeed there have moments during this year when Norfolkers have had the feeling of being driven relentlessly along a very narrow path, on a route that has obviously been carefully mapped out by the politicians and bureaucrats a long time ago, and with a timetable set in concrete.
Although Minister Lloyd has been our designated driver, and Australia's representative on this island our "chaperone", the whole agenda is much bigger than both of those people, and apparently even enjoys bilateral support in Australian politics.This island's financial capacity and sustainability have proved to be a convenient vehicle for this journey towards loss of self-government, and, sadly, it has been fuelled by flawed data and misinformation. The Acumen Report, which Canberra has used as its rationale for the course it has set us upon, has been shown to be based on false assumptions, poor statistics, and a gross misunderstanding of the actual needs and expectations of the people of this island.
The Minister and the Australian Parliament have once again chosen to play the financial card in recent days, spreading alarm and suspicion and anxiety, which they hope will work in their favour.What we need to realise is that even if our financial situation were
so dire that we needed Australia's intervention (and it is certainly not), this is merely a smokescreen for a quite different and unrelated agenda which Australia has said it means to implement regardless, and which, according to Minister Lloyd, is completely non-negotiable. This agenda includes the following:
*Application of all Commonwealth laws to Norfolk Island with few exceptions
*The power to intervene to develop and amend any Norfolk Island laws "in the public interest"(i.e. Australia's interest)
*Bringing Norfolk Island within Australia's taxation and social welfare system
*Bringing Norfolk Island under Australia's electoral system
*Bringing Norfolk's Customs and Quarantine under the Australian system
*Abolishing our powers of Immigration control completely.

In other words, take away the last vestiges of our separate and unique identity as a people and community.

The ironic thing is that not only will these changes bring about social and cultural damage to our island community, but they will have enormous negative effects on our economic and financial well-being. I will explore more of these negative effects in future posts.
Unfortunately for us, the ultimate decision on our fate will be made by Cabinet and by the Australian Parliament. We shudder to think of the unbalanced advice and misinformation on which this decision will be based.
Our Chief Minister has finally succeeded in obtaining a face to face meeting with Minister Lloyd tomorrow. We need to hope and pray for some honesty, flexibility and integrity to enter this process. We need some genuine consultation and dialogue. We need Canberra to step back and be prepared to start again, if they really care about the interests of the people of Norfolk Island.