WALK RIGHT IN

I apologise for a longish posting today. But the juggernaut of imminent change rolls swiftly on, and there are still so many questions unanswered about the implications for this island. Immigration is one of the serious issues we must confront.
When the Pitcairners first relocated to Norfolk Island, it was expected that they would wish to continue in the relative isolation that they had known on Pitcairn. Indeed, Captain Denison more or less instructed them that they were not to allow others in, or to buy and sell their land that was being granted to them.
Such advice may have been well-intentioned, but it was paternalistic and misguided. When the Pitcairners had expressed a desire to be left alone, they meant that they wanted to go on managing their community life in their own way, and according to their own laws and customs.
Fortunately, the Pitcairners did not realise that they were being looked on, by the outside world, almost as a museum curio which should be kept in strictly controlled conditions, and an almost rarified atmosphere. In fact, they were far more realistic and practical. Over the next few decades, quite a number of people joined the community, much to the annoyance of the colonial authorities. In some cases these were people who were able to bring skills and qualifications which were to prove useful. This enhanced the economic life of the community. There were new settlers who married into the Pitcairn families, such as those from the Melanesian Mission. Those who were welcomed into the community, and stayed for the long term, tended to be those who accepted the way of life and the codes of laws and values of the original settlers and their descendants. They were people who were prepared to pull their weight and make a contribution towards the well-being and sustainability of the island.
Funny....this all sounds very much like the criteria that Australia uses for its Immigration regime today....having needed skills and qualifications, family connections, willingness to espouse Australian values. Much has been said about that one recently.
With loss of control of our own immigration, the situation is going to be like this. Anyone who qualifies as suitable to immigrate into Australia will automatically be deemed suitable to move to Norfolk Island. A willingness to espouse Norfolk values will not be necessary. There will be no periods of time to qualify for residency here. No criteria...as long as you are coming from Australia. People wanting to come from anywhere other than Australia or New Zealand will find it far more difficult, however well-suited we may consider them to be. Even for Norfolk Islanders and people of Pitcairn descent. That special relationship with the island will count for nothing.
Thinking we are so naive that we do not know the difference between Immigration and population control, the Commonwealth has told us we just need to solve any potential difficulties through planning controls. It is OK for them to have criteria other than simple numbers, but not for us. We will be like Lord Howe where you only need an address to live there! Except that there are a lot more available addresses on this island, particularly if you have a bit of money behind you. After all, the locals won't be able to afford them. The good things in the community that we have built up, with very little outside help..things like our well-run school and hospital, communtiy facilities and amenities, and less tangible things like our community spirit and way of life...anyone will be able to avail themselves of these just as long as they have that Australian passport.
We do know the difference between Immigration and Population control, but unfortunately, we made the mistake of not distinguishing between residency and citizenship. We treated Residency as something to be earned and cherished, and although having ethnic ties to this island and its people was helpful in achieving that residency, once you had it, you enjoyed full citizenship rights on this island, whatever your background. No discrimination. We were exercising equality and human rights long before Australia started making an issue of it!
It is Australia who has introduced the concept of two classes of citizen on this island...those who can vote and stand for the Assembly, and those who can't. And those who can't include people of Pitcairn descent, and people who have lived here for a large chunk of their lives.
Yes, a large percentage of people here have Australian citizenship. Anyone born before 1949 had it conferred on them without their consent or knowledge. That is all that counts nowadays. Your connection to this island means nothing.
Some say that losing control of Immigration will not matter, because we have only had an Immigration regime for a few decades anyway. But 50 years ago, there was a difference. Norfolk Island was far more isolated, and making the move to settle here involved a considerable commitment and willingness to adapt. Even more important was the fact that you were moving to a place with its own system of laws, different from those in Australia.
If Canberra has its way, anyone who chooses to hop on a plane and buy or rent a place here will be able to. And because we will be living under Commonwealth law, those people will expect to enjoy the same rights and facilities as in any place on the Australian mainland...and will be able to demand them. And if they feel marginalised or discriminated against, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunties Commission will be on the case as quick as a flash. We can already thank that body for the change in our electoral laws. There will be no more more saying that we do things differently here. Some of the Australian politicians have told us that we shoud be negotiating over what Commonwealth laws should apply here, but that is an empty hope. At this stage they are not showing many signs af actually listening.
For one thing, your jobs will be up for grabs. Forget the reassurances that Centrelink will not be allowing people to come and look for jobs in areas where there is high unemployment. There are jobs here for them..and the one you were hoping to qualify for is one of them.
And did you know that Centrelink and its agencies has already been subsidising people on their books to come here and take up positions? And that it recently sought to establish a Work-for-Dole scheme for unemployed people on their books who wanted to go on living here after they lost their jobs? Signs of things to come!!
That is just one of the many implications of losing control of Immigration.
But there is worse to come. Because your Australian citizenship actually does not mean everything you thought it did. If you read the article in the Norfolk Islander about the Ame Case, and were able to delve through all the legal jargon, you will have discoverd that citizenship is not an entrenched right for all Australians. At least, it is not if you happen to have dual citizenship, or if you hold it by virtue of being born in one of Australia's external territories. You could lose it. That is how the High Court reads things from the Australian constitution.
I believe that both Australia and Norfolk Island should take a much longer, harder look at all the implications of what is proposed. We should be asking a lot more questions, and if they cannot answer them, then we should insist that they we will just not accept any changes until we are satisfied with the answers.
Is Australia really interested in human rights, or just Australian rights?