The Administrator

Mr Eric Hutchinson

Kingston

NORFOLK ISLAND

29^th March 2020

Dear Eric,

On Monday 23^rd March, I created a post on Facebook. The wording was simply the following:

“So when the politicians and media talk about all Australian States and Territories, why doesn't it ever include Norfolk Island? Who represented Norfolk island in the PM's Coronavirus cabinet?”

I posted these words onto my homepage, and tagged you. I did this because I sincerely believed that it may be a question on many people’s minds. I also believed it may be a question to which you could give an explanation or answer, or at least reflect on.

On the evening of that same day, you contacted me by phone, during our mealtime. I was quite taken back, particularly by the belligerence of your tone. I cannot accurately recall your exact words, but you started by saying that you were “sick and tired of…” and proceeded to tell me how hard you were working for Norfolk Island, and that I should have communicated with you by phone.

You then proceeded to accuse me of seeking “self-gratification” through the comments and responses of people who hated you. That was unfair, and brought no credit to a person in your position.

When you appeared to have finished, I said goodbye and hung up. I did not want say anything without gathering my thoughts together. And I most certainly did not want to create more heat when all I had sought to do was to shed some light and clarity on the situation.

As I see it, you had a number of options in the way you could have responded to my Facebook post, which has obviously touched a very raw nerve.

1.You could have explained simply and factually that Norfolk island is not part of the Australian Federation, and is therefore not represented on the Prime Minister’s “National Cabinet.” You had an opportunity to acknowledge that when referring to Australia’s states and territories, that the territories referred to are usually just the A.C.T. and Northern Territory, and do not include Norfolk Island and the Indian Ocean Territories.

2.You could then have explained that most of the measures being announced by the Prime Minister, other than the economic and financial measures, were being enforced under State law, and that any measures announced in relation to Norfolk Island were carried out under Norfolk Island law, administered by yourself and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (neither elected by the Norfolk Island people.)

3. This would have given you an opportunity to acknowledge, or at least reflect on, the fact that Norfolk Island is an anomaly, and that you work with and for a regime that has been imposed on this island without our consent, and which is flawed and undemocratic.

4. You can either defend this system or regime that you have chosen to identify with, or you can make up your mind to advocate for something better for Norfolk Island, or you can do nothing. No doubt you will continue to choose to do nothing.

Why you reacted with such anger and sensitivity to my post is something only you can answer for yourself and according to your own conscience.

Please note that I did not attack you personally, and never have done. I should also point out that I went back to the original post, and could find nothing that could be described as hateful in any of the comments. I had also put the post on Voice of Norfolk, and the responses there were actually constructive and helpful.

Like many others I have been severely impacted by recent events on a number of levels, and will be experiencing considerable financial hardship. But never at any stage have I been critical of any of the measures that have been undertaken on Norfolk Island to deal with the Covid19 threat. I acknowledge that there have been difficult decisions to make.

Finally I need to tell you that the telephone is not my communication method of choice, and that has been the case all my life. I make no apology for using social media, especially if I can use it to articulate issues that I know concern many other people.

I will be placing a copy of this letter in my blog, in order to place it on record.  I do not require a reply or response from you.

angelsandeagles.blogspot.com

Yours sincerely

Mary Christian-Bailey

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

This is the letter I sent to the local press last weekend. In the list of shortcomings of which I accused the Commonwealth Government, I omitted to mention their failure to acknowledge the Norfolk Islanders as the traditional and indigenous owners of Norfolk Island.
I am pleased to say that our regional council, at its inaugural meeting last night, passed a motion to include this in their Code of Conduct.

Dear Sir
So July 1st has come and gone. Some have tried to give the day a name, but I
would not even dignify it with a title. It will go down in history as a day
of shame for generations to come. To our Commonwealth appointees and
officials who thought they were coming in as our saviours, may I say this:
The people of this island, accustomed over a long time to meeting the needs
of this community with proper planning, good housekeeping, sound budgeting
and careful prioritising are aghast at what you have done, and the
incompetence you have demonstrated in trying to force us into your mold.
You have robbed our elderly of their feelings of safety and security, you
have deprived our young people of their rights to inherit an island home
that was once productive and resourceful and nurturing. You have stolen our
resources and claimed them as your own.You have disenfranchised many of our
citizens, and taken away from others their means of sustaining themselves
productively and with dignity. You have massively increased the cost of
doing business. You have lied to us, and about us, you have ignored us, you
have failed to show respect to our elected leaders. You have instituted a
ruthless regime, which is allegedly rife with nepotism, cronyism and
conflicts of interest.
You have stolen those things we believed we owned as a community...our
school, our hospital, our Post Office and our stamps, our radio station.
Even our "town" where our forebears lived and worked and played and carried
out their business from the time they arrived in 1856, has become, in your
words, "another part of the Australian story."
And because of all this you have also stolen our sleep, and at nights we lie
grieving, feeling distressed and dispossessed. You have made us feel like
exiles, even in our own homeland. Those familiar routines and values that
were a part of our lives, developed over decades to suit our little island
community, have just been wiped away.
And through all of the changes you are forcing on us, in the name of reform,
changes which will not leave most of us better off, we have held it all
together. We have chosen to remain peaceful and respectful, because that is
our way. Many of our public servants have been forced to remain silent, not
wanting to rock the boat, always mindful of the fact that they have families
to feed and mortgages to pay. But you have still taken away their jobs.
Your own people have been silent too. They came here to do a job, they have
seen first hand the grief and damage that it is causing, but they have not
spoken out because it might obstruct their comfy career path. Those who did
appear to be questioning what was happening were apparently sent packing,
with their tails between their legs and a gag on their mouths. And this week
many more of them have left, leaving us behind to cope with the mess.
We are in disbelief that you have been allowed to come into this place and
claim it as your own, expecting us to adopt your way of life in, a manner
that only can be described as colonialist and racist. You thought that
because we are few in number, you could get away with it.
The sad thing is that in your arrogance, you thought you could turn us
overnight into just another part of regional Australia. You thought you
could come in and make a clean sweep of it, because you actually believed
that what we had in place was insubstantial and worthless. You were so
wrong. Because you did not ask us, the Norfolk Island experts, for advice,
you have created a bureaucratic nightmare for yourselves, and a massive
deficit of confidence in the community as we muddle through new arrangements
that were not properly thought out. We are the ones who are having to pay
for it both financially, and in terms of our mental and emotional wellbeing.
I hope the day comes when you are forced to say SORRY.
Meanwhile, you may be congratulating yourselves because you think you have
won the battle. A most ignoble victory. But you have not won the war.
You may have broken our hearts, but you will never break our spirits.
And in the long run, you will be the losers. It was your decision to come
here and antagonise us and insult us. You have even built a protective wall
around yourselves, surrounding yourselves with people who will say the
things you want to hear. You have missed out on the experience of being part
of a very beautiful community, enjoying our warm and welcoming hospitality,
sharing in our family life and in our celebrations, discovering and
experiencing first hand a unique culture and heritage, and storing up rich
and positive memories and friendships for yourselves and your families. You
had the opportunity to assist us to manage our small remote island a little
better. We never thought we were perfect. All we ever wanted was a little
bit of help to help ourselves.
I do not believe in Karma, because I do not always see people getting what
they really deserve in this life, good or bad. But with God's help, I will
continue to stand up for Norfolk Island and fight for a just outcome and
better things for the island's people. I know many others feel the same. We
can hold our heads high. You should hang yours in shame.
Yours sincerely
Mary Christian-Bailey

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

SORRY FOR NORFOLK ISLAND

Come July 1, the electorate of Canberra will get a whole lot bigger. No longer confined to the nation's capital, it will stretch almost 2000 kilometres end to end, encompassing an area more than twice the size of Victoria.

Gai Brodtmann, if re-elected the following day, will need to trade the Comcar for a frequent flyer card to travel the 1906 kilometres  from her Tuggeranong office to her newest constituents on Norfolk Island.

If that sounds like a strange fit for Canberra, spare a thought for the Norfolk Islanders who are being shoehorned into the seat. For a subtropical island in the southern Pacific Ocean, completely dependent on seaborne transport for our existence, being part of an electorate where the previous largest body of water was Lake Burley Griffin, is alarming.

This is just one of many bizarre features of the Commonwealth takeover of Norfolk Island that will see decades of self-governance formally end on July 1. Our democratically elected Legislative Assembly has already been abolished. Community facilities and services we built, funded and ran as a community – including our school and hospital  – will become the property of the federal government.

Local legislation will be torn up, replaced by a mix of Commonwealth and NSW laws. The only remaining political representation will be a local council  – formed under the NSW Local Government Act. NSW will also run our health and education services.

Despite the role of NSW in governance and service delivery, the people of Norfolk Island will not be allowed to vote in state elections. We will have no representation in the parliament that will govern much of our lives, effectively leaving us second-class citizens.

This disenfranchisement is a cruel irony for a community at the forefront of democratic advancement. From our founding in 1856, Norfolk Island had universal suffrage, a principle brought with us from Pitcairn Island. Not only did women have the vote on Norfolk before anywhere else in Australia, they were elected to the legislature and held judicial positions, all before the Commonwealth of Australia came into existence.

In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the Labor Member for Canberra is in lock-step with the man Tony Abbott imposed as Norfolk Island Administrator, the former Howard government minister and radio shock-jock who was expelled from the Liberal National Party in 2012, Gary Hardgrave.

Brodtmann and Hardgrave speak in the language of colonisation. The people of Norfolk Island are treated as primitives, unable to govern themselves. The benevolent Commonwealth government knows best. The loss of local democracy is a small price to pay for improved services. The local population has no say, because  – like children  –  they simply don't know what is best for them. This is why a referendum last year that recorded 70 per cent opposition to the takeover can simply be ignored.

The reality is far different. While our island home is a mere speck in the ocean  – less than 10 kilometres end to end –  our exclusive economic zone, a colossal area 430,000 square kilometres in size, delivers hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Canberra.

While we previously had no access to Commonwealth services, Norfolk Islanders were already paying almost $6 million a year in tax to Australia, a figure that is set to jump.

For all the talk of bringing improved services, it is clear the Commonwealth will be gaining far more out of the colonisation of Norfolk Island than the local residents ever will.

Likewise, claims that Norfolk Island has always been a part of Australia, that our decades of successful self-government were nothing more than an "experiment", and that it is impossible for a remote community like ours to be economically sustainable, fail to stack up.

That rewritten history is news to the 47 per cent of Norfolk Islanders who are descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives, the three-quarters who still speak their own indigenous language, and the countless long-term residents who are not Australian citizens. It also ignores the fact that our local parliament paid its own way for three decades straight until the global financial crisis hit.

                           

As the countdown to July 1 approaches, we only hope our new neighbours in Canberra are as passionate about the restoration of local democracy as we are.

Chris Magri is president of Norfolk Island People for Democracy and a former member of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly

PUBLIC MEETING FOR AN INCREASINGLY DISTRESSED ISLAND

What do you do when you feel you are being ignored, that your questions are not being answered, and your very real concerns are not being addressed? What do you do when you find out your family and friends share your fears for your home and your future?

You call a Public Meeting.

This is what happened last Monday evening. In spite of the fact that Norfolk Radio was not allowed to broadcast details of the planned meeting, over 400 Norfolkers gathered at Rawson Hall to hear local representative stakeholders talk about issues and worries that are gripping the hearts and minds of Norfolk Island people.

Sadly and inexplicably, that number did not include the Australian Government representatives and appointees who are supposed to be making things so much better for Norfolk Island, nor did it include members of the N.I. Advisory Council, whose job it is to represent the island’s people, and convey our views to the Minister in Canberra. They missed a marvellous opportunity to hear firsthand how people are thinking and feeling.
 

Although the idea for the meeting had come from the Norfolk Island People for Democracy, it was very much a Community Meeting, with representatives from a range of community bodies agreeing to speak. The gathering was very ably chaired by Mrs Lisa Richards, and proceeded in a calm and orderly manner. Lisa told us the meeting had been organised in a spirit of sharing information, and that it would be filmed and recorded.

The first speaker, Mr Rael Donde, put forward concerns on behalf of the Accommodation and Tourism Association. Rael told us of the effect that Penalty Rates and other new tax imposts would have on the Hospitality industry. There is also anxiety, he told us, about the lack of guaranteed funding in the future for tourist promotion. Letters to those responsible are going unacknowledged, and this was also a common theme in what other speakers told us. Rael told us that whether it is the employers or the employees in the industry who have to bear the extra costs, it will be bad for the community.

David McCowan shared with us the situation we face on the Health and Medical front. David voiced the view that the changes have been managed very badly. He spoke of the marked increase in incidence of physical and mental disorders and illness as a result of the stress and uncertainty in the community, as reported by both medical staff and the Counsellor. To make matters worse, people are delaying seeking treatment because they are not sure of what their financial situation will be in the future under the changes. The uncertainty also affects hospital staff badly, and at this stage, they will be expected to work under N.S.W. conditions, but only receive 80% of N.S.W. award wages.

Questions from the meeting sought clarification about the ownership of infrastructure and equipment that have, over the years, been provided and donated by individuals and organisations from the Norfolk Island community. David said he believed these assets will be transferred to Commonwealth ownership. Similar concerns, and a degree of anger, were expressed about the fate of “our Post Office” “Our Radio Station” and “Our School”.

Mr John Brown, from the Chamber of Commerce, echoed some of Mr Donde’s views, stressing that little thought had been given to the impact of the new imposts, and that both service levels and employee hours would need to be cut by business enterprises in an effort to survive. John pointed out that so much is funded by tourism, and if that industry cannot survive, there will be flow on implications for the whole Norfolk economy. John also disclosed that initially, a number of members of the Chamber of Commerce had been quite supportive of the reforms, but that several had since changed their minds because they are alarmed at recent developments.

The next to address us was Mr Dennis Sterling, representing the fishing and boating community, and the Fishing Association in particular. Dennis addressed the issues of the upgrading of the Cascade Pier, the licensing of boats under NSW regulations, and the effects of new Occupational Health and Safety Rules. Dennis believes none of these matters have been thought through properly, local advice has been ignored, and there will be negative impacts on both recreational and commercial fishing, boating, and lighterage.

Speaking as a private citizen, Dennis expressed concern about supplies of rock, and his sadness about other changes to be imposed on our familiar landscape and routines, something that seemed to strike a chord with the audience.
Mr Donald Reynolds spoke to us briefly about the lack of clear information coming from the Commonwealth Information office. He also canvassed the difficulties being encountered by many local people because gifting and assets are affecting their eligibility for pensions and aged care.

Andre Nobbs then addressed us, mentioning the island wide distress, and the derision and defamation that Norfolk Island people have been subject to. He assured us that we are not fighting alone, and that we enjoy the support of many key and influential people around the world, and many are prepared to put weight and resources behind our cause. Andre spoke of potential legal and constitutional challenges that may leverage off our U.N. petition. One interesting bit of information was that it has been possible to find good statistics about how much the Commonwealth receives from fishing licences in our EEZ. Although these facts are masked by the Australian Government, those who actually pay for the licences have been able to supply the figures. In particular, RealStew have offered enormous support, giving us access to their 400 000 members, and to many of their resources. Andre thanked the many individuals and organisations both on and off the island for taking a stand on our behalf. “We have some big and exciting weeks ahead” he said.

Albert Buffett said a few words as President of the Council of Elders. The Council, he emphasised, was not a political body, but has been inundated with calls for some action by island people who are increasingly dismayed because they believe our culture is in danger. He told us that a list of concerns conveyed to the Minister after their meeting with him in January has never been acknowledged.
 

The meeting was very encouraged to hear Mr Geoff Gardner, representing the Norfolk Island People for Democracy, update us on the progress of our application to the U.N. Committee for Decolonisation for inscription on the list of non-selfgoverning territories. It was good to hear that nearly all of the boxes have been ticked, the accompanying reports are complete, and that the petition will be presented to the U.N. in New York next week, with Albert Buffett, Ken Christian and Mr Geoffrey Robertson Q.C. in attendance. Significant media coverage is planned. This news, which represents the culmination of many months of hard work, and considerable expense, brought an enthusiastic applause from the audience. Geoff also told us that NIPD’s communications to the Minister are no longer acknowledged.

Obviously all pretence of consultation has been abandoned.

It was announced that a community gathering was planned for next Wednesday 27^th April at 3 p.m. outside the Legislative Assembly building, and that a get-together and fundraiser was also planned for the following day, the 28^th April, marking the 227^th anniversary of the Mutiny on the Bounty.

Spirits continued to be lifted when Mr Dean McLachlan, who is in charge of our current media campaign, urged us to participate and get on board with letting the world know our story. Dean warned us that the powers-that-be will try to counter our message using the strategies of ignore/muddy the message/lie/ attack/ threaten…and that we need to be highly motivated and determined. He spoke of the crowdfunding campaign to start in a few days, telling us that the this is the very first political campaign that the Canadian company Fundrazr has taken on, because they are so convinced of the justice of our cause. We were encouraged to show our hands to demonstrate our solidarity and resolve.

 
By this time, there was a smile on everyone’s face, and we felt we were strong enough to take on the world, with the support of our many friends.

It was Chelsea Evans who wrapped up the evening for us, with a heartfelt and passionate plea, spoken in Norfolk, to stay strong and get involved, and think about COMMUNITY and COMMUTINY.

The evening finished with a rousing singing of the Pitcairn Anthem.

I have not done justice to the speakers…they shared so much with us, in many cases confirming our fears, and making us aware of other injustices we had not known about.

The spirit of the evening, however, is best summed up with a few key phrases and pronouncements we heard.

“I can’t get the smile off my face (from the Chair after Geoff Gardner spoke)

“What is the point of reforms if it doesn’t increase the well-being of the community?”

“They are dismembering this community until they rip the heart out.”

“The community is angry, helpless and frustrated.”

“A vibrant commercial sector is critical to the economy.”

“Our young people are just starting to realise Aussie’s promises are falling into a hole.”

“People are putting their reputations on the line for Norfolk Island.”

“Yorlye get stuck in and stick together.”

“Let us demonstrate our desire to bring back some order to our lives.”

“We are going to win over the hearts and minds of the world, including the Australian people.”

“You can’t IGNORFOLK!”

“We’ll keep fighting lorng as we haw!”

I know I have made very few posts in recent times. That is partly because nothing changes. I will only need to repeat everything that has been said before. In fact, the Norfolk Island people have been saying it ever since 1856, when they arrived on Norfolk Island and had their first experience of being doublecrossed by colonial powers!

This morning someone asked if I could make a few points for a lady in Australia who needed some material on which to base a letter to the press, complaining about what has been happening to Norfolk Island. It is hard to know where to start - or end - but here is my attempt at a brief summary of our situation.

1.Perhaps you could remind her that the people of Norfolk are not Australians – although they had Australian citizenship forced on them without their agreement back in the 1940s. They have a separate history to that of Australia. They believe (and always have) the island was granted to them by Queen Victoria. This island is NOT part of Australia – only a territory they were asked to look after.

2.We had no say or consultation about the changes, and have convincingly asked to have a say in our future in a referendum (which the Commonwealth ignored)

3.The changes will have many negative impacts on us. Especially our identity and our land. Land will not only be subject to taxes, but family land will count against us when applying for pensions etc.

4.The changes will probably turn us into a welfare state, as so many have lost, or will lose their jobs, and businesses will have enormous difficulty in meeting the demands of the new taxation regime.

5.The Commonwealth has put someone in charge of the “transition” a man (Gary Hardgrave) who has absolutely no respect for the people of Norfolk Island (it is alleged he even said he wanted to use them as landfill), and who has, we believe,  repeatedly misrepresented us and our views and the degree of consultation that has been undertaken , and has tried to re-write the history of the island to support what he is doing

6.Australia could have given us a modest amount of help after the G.F.C. but instead chose to abolish our government, remove democracy, install an unelected Advisory Council, and place us under NSW laws when we have no representation there.

7. This community has been lied to, double crossed and manipulated ever since its arrival in 1856, and we want to take a stand to make sure it never happens again!

BY the way, those beautiful pines in the picture, lining the frontage of our Fletcher Christian Apartments, were felled in the early hours of yesterday morning. The earthworks to make way for a Commonwealth funded footpath, which I call Briggs Highway, caused serious and dangerous damage to their root systems. The highly paid (and I mean hundreds of dollars an hour) engineer.designer of the footpath had not even taken this into account.

KINGSTON EVICTIONS

The following articles, from Sydney newspapers in 1908, tell of the infamous evictions of the Norfolk Islanders from their Kingston homes in 1908. Bernie's Mum, who was six at the time, remembered the event, and was there when Jemima Christian, daughter of George Hunn Nobbs, was evicted from her home at no.8. She said that the wife of the Administrator of the time brought a tray of morning tea, but Jemima said she could not face it. She moved upcountry to live with her son rather than sign away a home she knew belonged to her.

What these articles really reinforce ids the fact that the Norfolk people have been deceived to, bullied, and doublecrossed by colonial authorities right from 1856 - and it continues to this day!

I was very moved yesterday to receive the following letter. I am not a Norfolk Islander, and will never know fully what it feels like to be a Norfolk Islander. But this community has given me so much, and I am blessed to have been allowed to be a part of it. I am happy, but humbled, to have been allowed to articulate how the community feels about the way they have been treated by the Commonwealth.

Dear Mary

Care and Respect for Norfolk Island

The Norfolk Island Council of Elders wishes to extend their gratitude to you for
your tireless efforts and contributions, particularly in the public arena, that
ensure the island's unique ways are understood and accurately represented.

The Council is heartened by your courage and wisdom and values dearly your
care and respect for our people's home and future.

With sincere and best regards

Albert Buffett
CHAIRPERSON

I will treasure this letter. It means so much to me.

The following is a letter I have written to our local media in response to an action taken by our current Administration. A group of health professionals visited the island to examine our health system, and make recommendations for the future. They were to meet with a range of stakeholders. Our Hospital Board requested a meeting with them, but the request was refused. The Chair was allowed to "walk through" the hospital with the group and other "stakeholders", but that was all.   The Board consists of four very honourable locals, and it is probably because their views on Norfolk's preferred future do not coincide with those of the Commonwealth Govt, that they are not being allowed a voice. However, these people are very much in a position to voice the genuine concerns and questions of a large percentage of the population, and could be helpful in obtaining the best outcomes for the Norfolk Island people.

The letter follows:

For those who had any lingering doubts, the Commonwealth and its officers have now emphatically confirmed that they are engaged in a farcical process. They bring over health professionals to talk to stakeholders about our health and medical needs, but do not allow them to speak to our own Hospital Board, which is there to represent the interests of the community. This is a shameful manipulation of the facts and the agenda.

We realised that their view of “consultation” was something of a joke last year when Ms Vivian Twyford was engaged (at considerable expense) to conduct a public forum. Because the outcome of that meeting was not what they expected, and the “vocal minority” turned up in overwhelming numbers, the findings were ignored, and from that time on, it was decided they would only consult with people who would tell them what they wanted to hear.

And so we have an Advisory Council, self-nominated and unelected,  happily ticking off the boxes all for show. Behind the scenes, the decisions are being made by others, regardless of what you and I, or the AC for that matter, think or suggest. On the very same morning of the AC’s second public meeting, where we were to be asked to give input into matters of service delivery – including the matter of tourist promotion – we found out that the Tourist Board had been made defunct, and the role of the General Manager for Tourism would cease in early December. Another blow against local input.

  Our Norfolk Government was accused of incompetence, but that just pales into insignificance as we watch the Commonwealth bumbling through this “reform”process, making it up as they go along, unable to answer our questions, and casting a shadow of uncertainty, frustration and distress over our island. Meanwhile, they completely ignore and devalue the caring commitment, skills and experience that this Norfolk Island community has demonstrated in making things work on this island up till now.

Responding to the Advisory Council discussion papers and surveys is like being asked to choose the manner of your own execution. Most of us want to move forward. But we, as the stakeholders, should be the ones who decide who and what we take with us in the reform process, and be satisfied that it is better than what we had before. At this stage, the Commonwealth’s report card has a massive “FAILED” in big red letters.

From an official level, barely a  mention has been made of the Norfolk Islanders and their special connection with this island. However, I am aware of allegations of comments made privately and unofficially about a “final solution.” Former Minister Briggs publicly referred to them as the “ruling families” and falsely claimed that a rigged electoral system (imposed by Canberra, by the way) was keeping them in power in the days of self-government. Most of the talk has been about Norfolk being part of the Australian story, but not a mention of the unique and separate story of this island’s community.

In the rush to make Norfolk Island just another part of regional Australia and cement in their claim to our resources, the Commonwealth is trampling on the basic human rights of the Norfolk Island people, and seem hell-bent on making them irrelevant, even invisible. For how much longer are they going to treat the good and honourable people of this island with such contempt?

Mary Christian-Bailey