Ms Gai Brodtmann is currently the Labor member for the seat of Canberra.

This is the electorate in which eligible Norfolk Islanders will be obliged to vote in Federal elections on July 2nd. I say "eligible" because the day before, July 1st,  a significant percentage of the adult population of the Island will become disenfranchised, including a number of ethnic Norfolk Islanders who call this place home. Meanwhile a number of people who have never lived here will be allowed a local vote.

 

Now Ms Brodtmann, in the most fanciful and creative revision of history I have ever come across, says that Australia is the "Motherland" of the Norfolk Island people. She is reading from the same propaganda page as our Administrator, who referred to the Norfolk people as Australia's "lost tribe" waiting to be brought back into the fold. What they both fail to grasp is that the people of Norfolk Island came here from Pitcairn in 1856 when our island was a distinct and separate (British) settlement, and Australia did not even exist as an entity.

 

The Norfolk people are not part of the Commonwealth of Australia,  they never migrated to Australia, they were never consulted when responsibility for the island was handed over by Britain to Australia, as an external territory. And they did not have any say when their rights to British passports was withdrawn, and overnight they were made Australian citizens.

 

What Ms Brodtmann and all her government colleagues need to face up to is this:

Norfolk Island is NOT part of Australia historically, geographically,

ethnically, linguistically or legally. And culturally Norfolk Island is a world apart. I can tell you that is true because I am seeing the enormous grief and distress caused by forcing us to comply with the Australian way of doing things. I am seeing first hand how the changes imposed by the Federal Government have made so many feel like exiles in their own homeland. Systems and routines that have been developed over many decades to suit a small island community are being wiped away. Infrastructure and assets that we have provided through our own efforts and resources are being stolen from us.

 

That we have held it all together so well up until now is a tribute to the strong and peaceful values that have been handed down through our island families. We are trying to put community before our own self-interest. But beneath it all, hearts have been broken, and the fabric of our daily lives has been ripped apart. The Norfolk people have faced a great deal of change in their history, and they have faced it with dignity and resilience when it has been in the best interests of the community. But it is shameful the way the Australian Government has imposed its will on the people here, with barely a pretence of negotiation and consultation, and complete lack of respect for human rights.

                                    

 

The bullying and intimidation continues, and there seems to be a lack of honour and humanity in Australia's dealings with this island community. The conduct of the Australian Government's representatives and appointees is becoming increasingly irrational, even provocative. There is no risk assessment, no impact studies, no economic modelling, no change management strategies.  It is like a crazy and rushed experiment, and we are the guinea pigs who are being sacrificed in the process. I do not exaggerate, because each day I am coming face to face with the damage and distress in our own lives and those of people around me.

 

For the last eleven months, Norfolk Islanders have had no representative voice at any level of government. There has been no transparency and no accountability. Even in the future, most of the issues that affect our daily lives will be dealt with at arm's length, with little input from us.  The result is that all trust has gone.

 

You would think that Australia would want their island neighbour to be a good friend and ally. Instead, they are intent on sabotaging all hope of ever returning to a point where Norfolk Island and Australia might enjoy a relationship that brings mutual benefits