This has been written by Sue. It is the clearest explanation of what Norfolk Island and its people are all about that I have read. It includes the historical perspective, the cultural and ethnic issues, the political and legal issues, and most importantly the aspirations of the Norfolk Island people today.
This is something I have been writing for a while. There are many times when I have to explain to people who we Norfolk Islanders are and what is happening to our island. This is my view.
Norfolk Island, Its People and Politics 1st July 2016
I am a Norfolk Islander of Pitcairn descent. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of Norfolk Island, its people and current political situation.
Norfolk Islanders are the first people to live continuously as a “whole people” on Norfolk Island, South Pacific. Norfolk Island is our homeland. We love and hold sacred our island. We identify ourselves by our island and as a people we have been shaped by our island.
We are descendants of the 8 extended families who accepted English Queen Victoria’s offer of “Norfolk Island and all that appertains to” and arrived at Norfolk on the “Morayshire” on June 8th 1856. These families were the entire population of Pitcairn Island and were the descendants of 6 British mutineers of the ship HMAV Bounty, Christian, Quintal, Adams, McCoy, Young and Mills ans 6 Polynesian women, Mauatua, Teio, Teraura, Tevarua, Wahineatua and Toofaiti who had settled Pitcairn in 1790 along with Buffett, Nobbs and Evans who had married into these families. The conscious decision by our ancestors on Pitcairn Island to accept Queen Victoria’s gift was made because the small Island of Pitcairn was struggling to sustain the growing population. After a previous attempt to move back to Tahiti and the kind offer of Hawaiian lands from King Kamehameha IV, the Pitcairners unanimously accepted the gift of Norfolk Island because of its potential to sustain the population into the future and because it was unoccupied which meant they could continue to live in their own way without interference.
Our Pitcairn ancestors numbering 194, arrived on Norfolk as a unique and entire people, fully self-governing with their own identity, language, laws and customs reflecting mixed Polynesian and British heritage. Norfolk Island, which sits on the Norfolk Ridge half way between New Zealand and New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean had been previously temporarily settled by Polynesians and by two British penal colonies. By an Order in Council in 1856 Queen Victoria severed Norfolk Island from Van Dieman’s Land (now Tasmania) specifically so that it could be a separate and distinct colony, a new homeland exclusively for the Pitcairn Islanders.
The Governor of the British colony of New South Wales of the time, William Denison, was entrusted by Queen Victoria to arrange and assist the transport and settlement of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island. Not long after our ancestor’s arrival Denison began reneging on the offer of all lands and stores, confiscated the document which put Norfolk Island into the possession of the Pitcairn Islanders and began implementing control over the governance and land control of the island people. Our ancestors had accepted Queen Victoria’s offer of Norfolk Island understanding that the whole island was to be theirs and that they could continue to live according to their own laws and customs. At no time did our ancestors seek or agree to interference with their self-government and we have been deeply disillusioned since.
In 1901 Australia became its own nation. Norfolk Island was not mentioned in the constitution or made an integral part of the Commonwealth of Australia. To this day Norfolk Island has not been annexed to the Commonwealth of Australia. In 1914 the British transferred “authority to administer” Norfolk Island but did not “cede” the island to Australia leaving Norfolk with similar territorial status as that of Papua New Guinea. Continually over the years Norfolk Islanders vigorously protested against many attempts of integration by and to Australia and only had an “advisory” capacity with a locally elected council. Over the years many acts and legislations regarding Norfolk Island have been passed by various Australian Governments but at no time have the Norfolk Island people sought or been genuinely consulted on or agreed to government by or integration into Australia. Norfolk Island has never been an integral part of Australia.
In 1977 Australia attempted to integrate Norfolk Island specifically without any kind of referendum. People of Norfolk Island appealed to the United Nations. Norfolk Island was then granted a limited form of Self-government as an External Self-governing Territory under the Authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1979. Our parliament was a Legislative Assembly of nine democratically elected members. The preamble to the 1979 Norfolk Island Act made reference to “descendants of the settlers from Pitcairn Island and the recognition by the Parliament of the special relationship of the said descendants with Norfolk Island and their desire to preserve their traditions and culture”. For the next 36 years our Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly created legislation uniquely appropriate and practical to our Island and our people and culture, made major infrastructure developments, levied appropriate taxes and duties and managed its own finances. The “self-Government” enjoyed by Norfolk Island was limited in that the Commonwealth of Australia maintained the right to veto any laws made by the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and was frequently interfered with e.g. Australia imposing changes to Norfolk’s electoral system and electoral role.
Only three months after Norfolk’s first elected Parliament, Australia claimed for itself the 200 miles of ocean around our island, our traditional fishing grounds and major resource, and have since pocketed all of the income from the sale of fishing and mining related licenses. This is direct contravention of the United Nations Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and made it impossible to utilize our major resource for financial sustainability. Recent research and contact with Japanese traders has revealed that the sales of fishing leases on Norfolk waters has been bringing Australia in the vicinity of $60 million of dollars a year. Numerous attempts to diversify our island economy from a single tourism industry have been consistently prevented by Australia. With the global economic down turn of recent years and its effect on the tourist industry our Island found itself in financial difficulty. The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly sought assistance from the Australian Federal Government. Norfolk’s financial situation has been used by the Commonwealth of Australia to leverage the Legislative Assembly to forfeit control of Immigration, Customs and ownership of Government Business Enterprises. In 2015 the Commonwealth of Australia announced the dissolution of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and completely overtook control of the island saying that the island is unsustainable. If Norfolk Island actually received income from its ocean resource, could develop industries around it and was free to diversify its economy in other ways, the island would have the capacity to sustain itself economically in the face of the tourist industry down turn.
As Pitcairn Descendants we identify ourselves in an ethnic sense as Norfolk Islanders despite what passport we may carry. Our language and DNA are internationally and officially recognized as unique. Norfolk Islanders currently make up approximately 40-45% of the current total population of Norfolk Island of just under 2000. The remainder of the population are from other countries (majority Australian and New Zealanders) Some of these people and families have lived on Norfolk for many years, even generations, have woven their lives and families harmoniously amongst us, are well regarded and valued members of the community and have become “locals”. Many of these people identify themselves and are identified as Norfolk Island people regardless of their citizenship or ethnicity.
In June 2015, against the wishes of the people voiced in a referendum conducted by our democratically elected Legislative Assembly, the Commonwealth of Australia abolished our parliament, removed true democracy from the Island community and all recognition of the Pitcairn Descendants claims to the Norfolk Island. As of today, July 1st 2016 Australian law is imposed upon Norfolk Island. Norfolk Islanders have been shocked and distressed by the sudden loss of their voice and democracy on the island. The people of Norfolk Island have and continue to be misrepresented to the Australian Government by Australian Bureaucrats and are more than often misrepresented in Australian based media. An Advisory Council was organized by the Australian administrator to conduct consultations with the island community in relation to the upcoming Australian take over. The Advisory Council has been found to have misrepresented to the Australian government, the expressed statements by Norfolk Islanders against the takeover. The proposed “advantages” of “benefits” are far outweighed by disadvantages. The changes that Australian law brings a complete loss of control of our island’s future, economic breakdown, a decrease of on the ground services and a destruction of many of Norfolk Island cultural practices especially those relating to land use and inheritance, fishing practises, work, lifestyle and community cultural expressions. Already changes have been imposed which have left many island people previously of the public service unemployed, caused difficulty for the local fishermen, changed some community traditions, lead to the closure of locally owned businesses and great uncertainty in the future economy. The Commonwealth of Australia is spending millions of Australian tax payer dollars on Australian consultants, planners and bureaucrat’s (many of whom they have moved onto the island) wages and expenses and on impractical, unwanted and even ridiculous “infrastructure”. The Australian Administrator and many bureaucrats that have recently moved to the island are completely culturally insensitive and insulting. All reference to Pitcairn Descendants appears to have disappeared from official Commonwealth of Australia Acts, language and consideration. Norfolk Islanders are experiencing a high degree of emotional and financial stress and this is reflected in the dramatic increase in arising physical and emotional health problems of Norfolk Island People.
A political organization, the “Norfolk Island People for Democracy” formed to resist the Australian takeover of Norfolk Island and represents the major sector of the islands population and many Norfolk Island people currently living overseas. The Council of Elders who represent the descendants of the original Pitcairn families, have taken an increased political role in the struggle to reclaim the rights of the Norfolk Island people. On the 25th April 2015, with the help of many people especially Queens Council Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, an application was lodged with the United Nations seeking listing for Norfolk Island as Non-Self-governing Territory which would bring with it a path to self-determination and obligations by Australia to allow us, the people of Norfolk Island the right to freely determine our social, cultural, political and economic future. Norfolk Island people have reclaimed the grounds around our Legislative Assembly Building and have been camping there since 28th April 2016.
As a Norfolk Islander, I see that the Australian takeover of Norfolk Island will lead to the dispossession of lands for Norfolk Islanders, a breakdown of our economy, creation of welfare dependency, a loss of culture, and a complete loss of control of our homeland and our way of life. I think it will force Norfolk Island families to leave Norfolk Island. It is brutal colonization. Australia is motivated by Australian National interest above anything else and historically always places Australian financial interest over and above human rights. Along with many other Norfolk Islanders I am deeply, deeply distressed about the political situation on Norfolk Island and the effect on the community. At the same time I cannot give up faith that Australia’s colonization of my home can be brought to a halt before much more damage is done and that the Norfolk Island People will prevail to receive the opportunity to genuinely and safely exercise our right to self-determination and control our own destiny in our own home.
Inasmuch
Sue Pearson
I am a Norfolk Islander of Pitcairn descent. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of Norfolk Island, its people and current political situation.
Norfolk Islanders are the first people to live continuously as a “whole people” on Norfolk Island, South Pacific. Norfolk Island is our homeland. We love and hold sacred our island. We identify ourselves by our island and as a people we have been shaped by our island.
We are descendants of the 8 extended families who accepted English Queen Victoria’s offer of “Norfolk Island and all that appertains to” and arrived at Norfolk on the “Morayshire” on June 8th 1856. These families were the entire population of Pitcairn Island and were the descendants of 6 British mutineers of the ship HMAV Bounty, Christian, Quintal, Adams, McCoy, Young and Mills ans 6 Polynesian women, Mauatua, Teio, Teraura, Tevarua, Wahineatua and Toofaiti who had settled Pitcairn in 1790 along with Buffett, Nobbs and Evans who had married into these families. The conscious decision by our ancestors on Pitcairn Island to accept Queen Victoria’s gift was made because the small Island of Pitcairn was struggling to sustain the growing population. After a previous attempt to move back to Tahiti and the kind offer of Hawaiian lands from King Kamehameha IV, the Pitcairners unanimously accepted the gift of Norfolk Island because of its potential to sustain the population into the future and because it was unoccupied which meant they could continue to live in their own way without interference.
Our Pitcairn ancestors numbering 194, arrived on Norfolk as a unique and entire people, fully self-governing with their own identity, language, laws and customs reflecting mixed Polynesian and British heritage. Norfolk Island, which sits on the Norfolk Ridge half way between New Zealand and New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean had been previously temporarily settled by Polynesians and by two British penal colonies. By an Order in Council in 1856 Queen Victoria severed Norfolk Island from Van Dieman’s Land (now Tasmania) specifically so that it could be a separate and distinct colony, a new homeland exclusively for the Pitcairn Islanders.
The Governor of the British colony of New South Wales of the time, William Denison, was entrusted by Queen Victoria to arrange and assist the transport and settlement of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island. Not long after our ancestor’s arrival Denison began reneging on the offer of all lands and stores, confiscated the document which put Norfolk Island into the possession of the Pitcairn Islanders and began implementing control over the governance and land control of the island people. Our ancestors had accepted Queen Victoria’s offer of Norfolk Island understanding that the whole island was to be theirs and that they could continue to live according to their own laws and customs. At no time did our ancestors seek or agree to interference with their self-government and we have been deeply disillusioned since.
In 1901 Australia became its own nation. Norfolk Island was not mentioned in the constitution or made an integral part of the Commonwealth of Australia. To this day Norfolk Island has not been annexed to the Commonwealth of Australia. In 1914 the British transferred “authority to administer” Norfolk Island but did not “cede” the island to Australia leaving Norfolk with similar territorial status as that of Papua New Guinea. Continually over the years Norfolk Islanders vigorously protested against many attempts of integration by and to Australia and only had an “advisory” capacity with a locally elected council. Over the years many acts and legislations regarding Norfolk Island have been passed by various Australian Governments but at no time have the Norfolk Island people sought or been genuinely consulted on or agreed to government by or integration into Australia. Norfolk Island has never been an integral part of Australia.
In 1977 Australia attempted to integrate Norfolk Island specifically without any kind of referendum. People of Norfolk Island appealed to the United Nations. Norfolk Island was then granted a limited form of Self-government as an External Self-governing Territory under the Authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1979. Our parliament was a Legislative Assembly of nine democratically elected members. The preamble to the 1979 Norfolk Island Act made reference to “descendants of the settlers from Pitcairn Island and the recognition by the Parliament of the special relationship of the said descendants with Norfolk Island and their desire to preserve their traditions and culture”. For the next 36 years our Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly created legislation uniquely appropriate and practical to our Island and our people and culture, made major infrastructure developments, levied appropriate taxes and duties and managed its own finances. The “self-Government” enjoyed by Norfolk Island was limited in that the Commonwealth of Australia maintained the right to veto any laws made by the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and was frequently interfered with e.g. Australia imposing changes to Norfolk’s electoral system and electoral role.
Only three months after Norfolk’s first elected Parliament, Australia claimed for itself the 200 miles of ocean around our island, our traditional fishing grounds and major resource, and have since pocketed all of the income from the sale of fishing and mining related licenses. This is direct contravention of the United Nations Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and made it impossible to utilize our major resource for financial sustainability. Recent research and contact with Japanese traders has revealed that the sales of fishing leases on Norfolk waters has been bringing Australia in the vicinity of $60 million of dollars a year. Numerous attempts to diversify our island economy from a single tourism industry have been consistently prevented by Australia. With the global economic down turn of recent years and its effect on the tourist industry our Island found itself in financial difficulty. The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly sought assistance from the Australian Federal Government. Norfolk’s financial situation has been used by the Commonwealth of Australia to leverage the Legislative Assembly to forfeit control of Immigration, Customs and ownership of Government Business Enterprises. In 2015 the Commonwealth of Australia announced the dissolution of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and completely overtook control of the island saying that the island is unsustainable. If Norfolk Island actually received income from its ocean resource, could develop industries around it and was free to diversify its economy in other ways, the island would have the capacity to sustain itself economically in the face of the tourist industry down turn.
As Pitcairn Descendants we identify ourselves in an ethnic sense as Norfolk Islanders despite what passport we may carry. Our language and DNA are internationally and officially recognized as unique. Norfolk Islanders currently make up approximately 40-45% of the current total population of Norfolk Island of just under 2000. The remainder of the population are from other countries (majority Australian and New Zealanders) Some of these people and families have lived on Norfolk for many years, even generations, have woven their lives and families harmoniously amongst us, are well regarded and valued members of the community and have become “locals”. Many of these people identify themselves and are identified as Norfolk Island people regardless of their citizenship or ethnicity.
In June 2015, against the wishes of the people voiced in a referendum conducted by our democratically elected Legislative Assembly, the Commonwealth of Australia abolished our parliament, removed true democracy from the Island community and all recognition of the Pitcairn Descendants claims to the Norfolk Island. As of today, July 1st 2016 Australian law is imposed upon Norfolk Island. Norfolk Islanders have been shocked and distressed by the sudden loss of their voice and democracy on the island. The people of Norfolk Island have and continue to be misrepresented to the Australian Government by Australian Bureaucrats and are more than often misrepresented in Australian based media. An Advisory Council was organized by the Australian administrator to conduct consultations with the island community in relation to the upcoming Australian take over. The Advisory Council has been found to have misrepresented to the Australian government, the expressed statements by Norfolk Islanders against the takeover. The proposed “advantages” of “benefits” are far outweighed by disadvantages. The changes that Australian law brings a complete loss of control of our island’s future, economic breakdown, a decrease of on the ground services and a destruction of many of Norfolk Island cultural practices especially those relating to land use and inheritance, fishing practises, work, lifestyle and community cultural expressions. Already changes have been imposed which have left many island people previously of the public service unemployed, caused difficulty for the local fishermen, changed some community traditions, lead to the closure of locally owned businesses and great uncertainty in the future economy. The Commonwealth of Australia is spending millions of Australian tax payer dollars on Australian consultants, planners and bureaucrat’s (many of whom they have moved onto the island) wages and expenses and on impractical, unwanted and even ridiculous “infrastructure”. The Australian Administrator and many bureaucrats that have recently moved to the island are completely culturally insensitive and insulting. All reference to Pitcairn Descendants appears to have disappeared from official Commonwealth of Australia Acts, language and consideration. Norfolk Islanders are experiencing a high degree of emotional and financial stress and this is reflected in the dramatic increase in arising physical and emotional health problems of Norfolk Island People.
A political organization, the “Norfolk Island People for Democracy” formed to resist the Australian takeover of Norfolk Island and represents the major sector of the islands population and many Norfolk Island people currently living overseas. The Council of Elders who represent the descendants of the original Pitcairn families, have taken an increased political role in the struggle to reclaim the rights of the Norfolk Island people. On the 25th April 2015, with the help of many people especially Queens Council Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, an application was lodged with the United Nations seeking listing for Norfolk Island as Non-Self-governing Territory which would bring with it a path to self-determination and obligations by Australia to allow us, the people of Norfolk Island the right to freely determine our social, cultural, political and economic future. Norfolk Island people have reclaimed the grounds around our Legislative Assembly Building and have been camping there since 28th April 2016.
As a Norfolk Islander, I see that the Australian takeover of Norfolk Island will lead to the dispossession of lands for Norfolk Islanders, a breakdown of our economy, creation of welfare dependency, a loss of culture, and a complete loss of control of our homeland and our way of life. I think it will force Norfolk Island families to leave Norfolk Island. It is brutal colonization. Australia is motivated by Australian National interest above anything else and historically always places Australian financial interest over and above human rights. Along with many other Norfolk Islanders I am deeply, deeply distressed about the political situation on Norfolk Island and the effect on the community. At the same time I cannot give up faith that Australia’s colonization of my home can be brought to a halt before much more damage is done and that the Norfolk Island People will prevail to receive the opportunity to genuinely and safely exercise our right to self-determination and control our own destiny in our own home.
Inasmuch
Sue Pearson
posted by Mary on Norfolk Island @ 5:57 pm
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