Be a part of the solution

Obviously the hottest topic in town on Norfolk is the announcement made by Chief Minister David Buffett in relation to our future relationship with Australia.
The inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this bolt from the blue is that Norfolk Island was, and remains, very close to flat broke.

It is also reasonable to speculate that the Chief Minister may have been faced with the real possibility that the Administration wages and pensions etc. could not have been paid in weeks ahead. Faced with the scenario of families with no pay packets in the Christmas period, and knowing that a combination of this and the traditionally low tourism period at Christmas could have totally collapsed the Island’s economy, the Chief Minister, in all probability, had no choice but to do what he did.
It is apparent that not everyone is happy about the Chief Ministers announcement however I suspect that they are in the minority given the gravity of the situation.

Like it or not, most of us will feel some degree of apprehension as to how the new arrangements will play out and over what time period. We will need now to turn our minds to gaining outcomes that will be best for all on Norfolk.
In the months or years to come there will be many meetings between politicians of both governments and officers of both governments. The Norfolk Government particularly will need constant reminding that we all have a stake in this.
The Commonwealth also has a responsibility to ensure that all who live on Norfolk Island are given every opportunity to express their views on any proposals put forward.
The Commonwealth must not abdicate its responsibility in this regard to the Norfolk Island Government on the basis that they are our elected representatives, that has been a major failing to date.
The Commonwealth should understand clearly that there are those in the Norfolk Island community who have the ear of government, who have always had the ear of government and who will be extremely focused on influencing the NIG to portray the outcome that they seek, as an outcome that will be good for Norfolk, when it is simply an outcome that is good for them. I would feel confident in saying that this is already happening.

In the lead up to this momentous change the Norfolk Island Government has not been honest with its constituents about the real state of the islands economy. It has painted a rosy picture about our prospects when there was no basis for optimism.
The decision to embrace the Commonwealth system has come pretty late in the day, and both governments must share responsibility for this. It is not good enough for the Commonwealth to say that the welfare of its citizens was the NIG responsibility and leave us to implode. Such an approach that would be acceptable in local government in Australia and one needs only look at the Northern Territory intervention to see that the Australian government can act unilaterally if it so chooses.

The way the future unfolds for us is something we should all be engaged in and it is naïve to assume that your interests will be considered if you do not actively participate in the process. It’s not the time to be a spectator.