CUSTOMS CONCERNS

The Australian Government commissioned an Economic Impact Assessment into the possible economic effects of the huge changes they have planned for Norfolk Island. They have recognised that our economy has developed differently from that of mainland Australia, but I am not sure if they are recognising that a whole lot of other things are different too, such as our culture, and our expectations and needs.
Anyway, this assessment study has been carried out, and Canberra plans to use it, they say, to minimise the negative impacts of their changes. Things such as staggering them and introducing them in stages. In other words ïf they "do us slowly", perhaps we will not feel the flames so badly.
But we have enormous concerns.
Firstly, the Economic Impact assessment Report is to be kept confidential, and you and I will not know what it has said...until it is far too late. Are we not to be trusted with this information?
The second problem is that they did not ask very many of us how the changes would affect us, and we all know they will be extremely damaging to our way of life, our businesses, our sense of community and especially to our tourist industry.
Take Customs for instance. Canberra is not just going to assume control of that area. It will be abolished altogether, and Norfolk Island Customs will no longer exist. We will be under the Australian Customs Regime....completely.
Any goods coming here from other parts of the world will be subject to the same tariffs as those entering Australia. Now these tariffs and import duties have been set to suit Australian needs, to protect Australian industries, and to help fill Australian coffers.
Never mind that our local needs are quite different.
Never mind that when Australia first decided to do this, Norfolk Island Customs Duties were an important part of our revenue stream. So much for being concerned about our sustainability!
Did they take the trouble to observe how many of our successful and popular tourist shops import quality products from all over the world, and have been able to sell these to our visitors at extremely attractive prices. They have been able to do this, partly because of our low duty regime, and partly because they did not have to go through Australian agents and middlemen.
We will no longer be seeing our tourist shoppers loaded down with imported shoes, Lego, porcelain and china, perfumes and giftware items that have made shopping here very attractive. It will all need to be imported through Australia, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we will also be required to use those agencies and middlemen which have exclusive import rights within that country. Because we will no longer have our separate identity.
Our shopping will either become very expensive, or Burnt Pine will need to become a "Chinatown" type precinct of $2 and Junk type shops trying to woo our visitors with cheap mass-produced goods and trinkets.
All this is justified by vague mumblings about "anomalies"and "inconsistency" and "tidying things up in Australia's border protection regime". This is in spite of the fact that our Norfolk Island Government has offered to meet them more than halfway on questions of genuine security concerns, and does, in fact, provide an extra security checkpoint under the current arrangements!!
Sadly, our Norfolk Island Customs regime is just one more of the "loose ends" that is to be firmly woven into the fabric of Australia's all-enveloping mantle of control.
It means a loss of government revenue, a loss of part of an industry that has underpinned our sustainability, and another major step in the loss of our unique and separate identity.