C IS FOR CELEBRATION

Today I am posting my 100th message on Angelsandeagles.

Today it is with great delight that I report that the Australian Government has abandoned its plans to make its changes to the way Norfolk Island is governed.

The Norfolk flags have been flying and there is an enormous feeling of joy, relief, hope and vindication.

People who have quietly got on with their lives all this year, hoping deep down that this island was not going to lose those things that made it special, are openly celebrating, hugging each other, and declaring that this will be the best Christmas ever.

I will give Minister Jim Lloyd his due. Last week, Cabinet rejected his proposals for governance changes to Norfolk Island. This week, he came to the island and in an open, direct and gracious manner, gave us the good news. I know you need to be thick-skinned in politics, but that must have taken some pluck and courage.

I do not know why Federal Cabinet decided not to proceed, any more than I know why they ever decided they wanted to take away our self-government in the first place. But I do know that we have been needlessly subjected to nearly a year of doubt, fear, suspicion and anxiety, when we should have been able to celebrate our Sesqui-centenary freely with joy and pride. It was all so unnecessary.

But Norfolkers stood very tall and proud today. We felt like the mouse that roared. We resisted the push, but kept our dignity and integrity.

The events of this year have taken a great toll on the time and resources of our government, at a time when they needed to deal with some difficult local issues and problems. But I cannot begin to imagine how much the Federal Government has expended on this exercise. Even the Minister's announcement today involved an overnight trip in a Lear Jet with at least 6 other officials and relatives. No doubt it will all go into the ledger as Commonwealth expenditure on Norfolk Island. Nothing changes.

Looking on the positive side, our experience this year has taught us to value and cherish those intangible things that make this community and its people so special. That so often happens when you are faced with the prospect of losing something. There has been a tremendous feeling of solidarity and pulling together, with some unlikely people finding common ground, and quietly contributing in their own way to fight the threat we were facing.

There is a hard road ahead. We are not out of the woods with our economic difficulties. I could not help feeling I detected a slight note of petulance on the part of Canberra's representatives, a suggestion that if we wanted to go it alone, they would quite enjoy seeing us fall flat on our faces.

We must not let that happen. We must be determined to keep our government honest and accountable, and keep the lines of communication clear and open. We need to give them positive and constructive support, and embrace reform and progress where it is necessary to keep us sustainable in this modern world. Norfolkers must become more proactive and vocal about policies and decisions that affect this community.

Meanwhile, I believe that we must be extremely vigilant in our relationship with Canberra. It would be so easy for them to achieve by stealth those things they have failed to achieve in their Campaign of 2006. We should recognise that they have slowly and insidiously moved to Australianise this community, and dilute its special identity, over many years, and will probably try to continue that process.

It is my dream that we should develop a Constitution for Norfolk Island, and from that, advance the concept of a Norfolk Island citizenship.

But for now, we will be very grateful for our good news, for this wonderful climax to a difficult year, for the fact that we can celebrate this Christmas season with a feeling of peace and hope and joy.

THANK YOU

Perhaps it is because this is a season of goodwill, but I would like to offer some thanks and support to our politicians. By that, I mean our local ones...the ones that you and I elected through an open and fair democratic process.
I know that it is not popular to put in a good word for these people, and that politician is almost a dirty word, but you have to admit that not everyone is made of the sort of stuff that gives you the courage to make yourself public property, accountable to all and sundry.
And let's acknowledge that when our own Norfolk Island MLAs put their heads on the line at the last elections, little did they know that they were going to have to deal with all the consequences and aftermath of Minister Lloyd's announcement last February. They were elected to provide good government for Norfolk Island, and suddenly found they were being dictated to by those who thought that Australia's interests were more important and overriding.
It actually took a long while for them to get their act together after Canberra's initial "Two Options" plan/announcement. But they had no more warning of this than any of us did, and after the initial shock (felt by all) they had the difficult task of discerning what their mandate was, and how their constituents wanted them to respond. A referendum was hardly an option, most of our previous ones having been belittled by Canberra.
Our nine members actually had differing views about what course of action to take...after all, they are only human.
But eventually, as members of the electorate and community groups began to lobby them with a strong clear message, they re-grouped in order to mount a defence, and hopefully even an offensive. It was a pretty painful time, but we have to acknowledge that those felt that hurt and ingratitude the most were gallant and gracious for the most part. And I would like to thank those who put personal feelings to one side, in order to enable our Assembly to have some strength and unity on the issue.
Dealing with Canberra was not easy. There was little direct communication with our government, and they had to suffer the ignominy of being bypassed and ignored on many occasions. Their endeavours to bring about genuine dialogue and negotiation were frustrated at every turn, and right to the very end, their attempts to promote constructive discussion and solutions received only token acknowledgement from Canberra.
Yet they remained positive, and continued to display to the Minister and other politicians, and the DOTARS officials not only generous Norfolk hospitality, but respect and courtesy far in excess of what had been shown to them. They went out of their way to co-operate with and show openness and honesty to the the succession of commissions, committees and surveys imposed on us.
Meanwhile, they had to get on with the task of dealing with local issues, including those very problems that Canberra had seized on for its rationale and reason for calling our self-government unworkable. It soon became apparent that the "unworkable" part was meant to be a self-fulfulling prophecy, as Canberra stood in the way of many attempts to improve and diversify our revenue raising. It was a real challenge to get around the obstacles placed in their way, as Canberra tried to dictate how our moneys should be raised and spent. Meanwhile promises of grants and handouts were dangled in front of our noses in a manner designed to undermine the credibility of our own elected government.
One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the misinformation and lack of information that was fuelling Canberra's push, and attempts to use "Freedom of Information" were unsuccessful. And for one of the most important studies commissioned by Canberra, the Study of the Economic Impact of Canberra's plans, we were not only denied the right to have input, but were denied access to the results.
It became difficult to make long term decisions for good government as provided by the Norfolk Island Act, when hanging over their heads was the enormous Question mark about whether that Act would still be in force in the next year. The words "if" and "when" were interchanged frequently, depending on your level of optimism and determination to uphold Norfolk Island's right to determine its own future. But our Assembly members did not give up, but continued to make decisions...difficult ones at that...according to the mandate they had received when they were elected, and in response to the challenges that were presented by an economic downturn. Indeed, it was a downturn that was being seriously exacerbated by the uncertainty and doubt hanging over our heads. Many of our government's decisions and policies may not have been popular, dictated as they were by stringent economic necessity. Some of them may have been unwise or even wrong...but we can let them know at the next election. We did not elect the Canberra politicians who believe they have the right to control Norfolk's affairs.
I do not know what Minister Lloyd will tell us tomorrow, although I have heard rumours. We will find out if he and his colleagues have actually done any listening. We will find out if our MLA's have actually achieved any success in their attempts to stand up for this island. Many of us have wished at times that they had been more vocal and forceful and pro-active.
But we do need to acknowledge that 2006 must have been an "Annus Horribilis" for our MLA's, and they have needed to demonstrate incredible fortitude and resolve.
And in this season of peace and goodwill, I really believe we should say a big THANK YOU to them.

MEETING THE DEADLINE

The Federal Parliament has gone into recess for Christmas, but if you thought this meant a 'stay of execution' for Norfolk Island, you may well be wrong. Cabinet is to hold its final meetings for the year early this week, and this is the time that major policy decisions are made for the coming year.
It was this time last year that Minister Lloyd was given his instructions to "fix" the Norfolk Island problem over the next 12 months.
Will the Minister meet his deadline?
Has he succeeded with his rapid "whistle stop" journey armed with the TWO BROAD OPTIONS (in other words, choose the lesser of two evils)?

Has he managed to avoid being sidetracked by those of us trying to persude him that these "final solutions" for Norfolk Island are not only unnecessary, but harmful and unjust?

Has he actually heard us tell him that they have it all wrong, that not only do they not know the answers, they do not even ask the right questions?

It is hard to imagine that the Minister and his army of DOTARS advisors could not have been just a tiny bit moved by the intense sadness of those who fear they will be witnessing the loss of a very special and unique community and of values and a heritage they hold dear.
You cannot tell me that Canberra has not become aware of growing numbers of people on this island who, in spite of initially welcoming or accepting the Australian government's proposals in a spirit of goodwill, have become increasingly sceptical about the detail- or the lack of it - and the obvious self-interest behind it all.
It is difficult to believe that the input of our own elected government, constructive and positive proposals to implement beneficial changes to meet the island's real needs and satisfy mutual concerns, would have completely fallen on deaf ears.
Surely warning signals should have sounded when Australia began to see the unwanted effects of paternalism and bullying in the Solomons and Papua New Guinea. It is a sad reflection on a country like Australia if increasing arrogance and desire to spread the boundaries of its influence and its economic resources blinds that country to the fact that the "Australian way" may be the best for Australians but is not necessarily the best for its island neighbours.
There is no doubt that the Minister has faced increasing dilemmas, doubts, distractions and discomposure over the Norfolk Island issue.
But will political expediency win out anyway?

Will the Minister dutifully meet his deadline?

Or will he have the courage to say"Look, I think we may be have got it wrong. We need to go back to the drawing board"

Will we be allowed to enjoy a truly happy Christmas?