HEY ! - WHAT ABOUT THE NORFOLK ISLAND PRIVATE SECTOR ?

This week, Norfolk Island’s Chief Minister and Finance Minister make the pilgrimage to Canberra for talks with the Federal Minister responsible for Regional Australia – and Norfolk Island, Simon Crean.
Word on the street is that the talks will be short but it remains to be seen, how sweet.
In this first face to face meeting, Norfolk Island’s Chief Minister has indicated that he has no preconceptions about the direction these talks will take other than that they will focus on the short term issues.
The major short term issue for Norfolk Island is our level of debt and the mismatch between revenue and expenditure. One would expect that the Norfolk Island Government will be hoping for sufficient funds from the Commonwealth to meet current debt obligations and presumably a little more to provide a bit of breathing space.
The NIG has previously made mention of the preparation of a “fact book”. This will probably contain the numbers in support of “the pitch”. The Feds will have their own “fact book”

We can be sure that the NI Government will be anxious for it’s financial situation to be shored up, and we can be sure that this will include funds to pay Public Service salaries, pensions and of course, politicians.
What we can’t be sure of are the measures contained in the NIG Fact Book, if any, specifically included to address the short term issues of the private sector.
So far the NIG has not been active in informing themselves about the needs of the private sector.
Members of the Norfolk Island government have at times reflected on the need for the Tourism industry i.e. tours and accommodation, retail etc. to upgrade and to improve level and quality of service. Equally the private sector has put forward its views on how and where the public sector can improve its performance.
The public sector has largely been insulated from the economic downturn with most of the pain being borne by the private sector. The NIG continues to rely on a private sector which is absorbing higher costs and accepting lower returns for longer hours to keep the ship of Norfolk afloat.
The government is remiss in not having seriously engaged with the private sector prior to developing a recovery package. It can only be hoped that the government has been adequately informed through the informal contacts that tend to occur on Norfolk.

There is no doubt that Norfolk Island will be less of a burden on the Commonwealth if we can generate wealth on the island. This is the role of a healthy private sector and both parties should not be allowed to forget it.