BATTLE BREWING

I must admit I have been sensing a threat on the horizon for a little while now, and have even been gathering "ammunition" from what I was reading and hearing. But I had hoped that as we went about our lives in the peaceful and productive way that characterises us here on Norfolk Island, that we would be allowed to continue to enjoy our uniqueness for a little longer before the onslaught.

Today, I chanced to be listening to Federal Parliament on Skynews Active following on from Question Time, when Minister Debus rose to his feet and sought leave to make a Ministerial Statement on Governance on Norfolk Island.

I was stunned, my heart sank, and what followed was even worse than my worst fears.

The long and short of it is that the Austraian Government once again proposes to bring Norfolk Island under its own Taxation and Welfare system, because he regards us as a failed state!!! He believes our model of government does not work.

I am disgusted, because these Canberra politicians, abetted by Canberra bureaucrats, are once again making decisions on our behalf which are based on gross misinformation, and misunderstanding of what goes on here. Even more galling is the fact that they are more prepared to listen to the views of people who I believe have been much discredited.

I mean people such as our former Administrator Grant Tambling. who did not even know when addressing a Senate Committee that Norfolk pensions are higher than those in Australia, and Senator Ross Lightfoot, who is on record as saying that the Norfolk community was hiding and protecting the murderer of Janelle Patton. Both of these men were quoted extensively in Debus' announcement.

I knew that the Norfolk issue was "on the table" and was being toyed with, with some nudging from the Norfolk Island branch of the Labour party (a body who are quite entitled to put forward their views as long as they are balanced against those of us who have no desire to be part of the Australian system.)

But I had hoped that good sense would prevail as Australia realised that not even her own economy enjoyed an ironclad security in the face of global financial issues.

No doubt they will now use the current worldwide economic difficulties to pin us down and "rescue us."

I an bursting with indignation, and will once again use this forum to air my views. They are mine alone, but in our Campaign of 2006, I know I had an enormous army of support from people who shared my feelings, and were glad that I could put them into words for them.

For a while I was not sure if I had the stamina for another battle. But I love this place and its brave and intangible spirit too much, and will not allow it to be subdued or extinguished before I have told the world - or anyone who will listen -that Norfolk Island is the most wonderful place in this world, functions in a unique way that perhaps defies worldly logic, and should be held up in the world's eyes as an example, not of a "failed state", but of how things should be done!