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.