Short film by Norfolk Island school student highlighting …

… impact of Australian Government takeover on island’s youth

I thought you might be interested in this short film produced by Norfolk Island high school student Alexis Tavener looking at the impact of the Australian Government’s abolition of the island’s government from the perspective of the island’s youth.

Alexis is a 17 year old who just completed her HSC (Norfolk Island’s education system is now run out of New South Wales). This film was produced as a major work as part of those studies.

You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG8ll59kUmg

Alexis is happy to talk to media about her film, and the concerns of young people on Norfolk Island. She says the majority of young people on the island are acutely aware of the social, economic and political impact of the Australian Government’s forced takeover of the island’s governance from July 1 this year.

She wants to highlight the concerns of her peers about the potential loss of culture and identity, along with the economic and social impacts coming from the imposition of Australian laws and practices on the island.

She described the situation as follows:

“A major movement on the island has developed in opposition to the changes that have been forced onto the community.
“My major works aims to continue this dialogue in a forum that more truly reflects the views of the young generation on the island.
“The intended purpose is to represent the perspective of the youth leaders of Norfolk; our experiences of the ongoing events and how the sudden impact of change that are affecting our community.
“It is this generation that will suffer most from the short-term effects of losses of jobs and incomes in our years of secondary and post-secondary schooling; and the long-term effects of the loss of our culture, identity, and lifestyle.
“I wanted to give the future generations a voice in such a contentious situation.”

Background information regarding Norfolk Island:

Norfolk Island was initially settled by the Crown as a penal colony in 1788.
In 1856, Queen Victoria set aside the recently vacated island as a “distinct and separate colony” for the descendants of the Bounty mutineers, who had outgrown their home on Pitcairn Island.
Norfolk Island was subsequently administered by the Commonwealth of Australia on behalf of the British crown.
Women were allowed to vote on Norfolk Island from 1856, as they had been on Pitcairn Island, and were elected to local political and judicial positions in the 19th century.
The following year, Norfolk Island was the first place in the Commonwealth to introduce laws mandating compulsory education for boys and girls.
Norfolk Island has its own language, which is included on the United Nations’ list of endangered languages. In addition, it is home to unique customs and culture, predominantly derived from the European and Tahitian ancestry of the original inhabitants.
Two national anthems that are sung at official ceremonies: God Save The Queen and the Pitcairn Anthem.
In 1979, Norfolk Island was granted partial self-governance, with the creation of an elected Legislative Assembly. This administration, funded by funded by local taxes and levies, was responsible for legislation as well as the provision of services, including health, education, customs, quarantine, telecommunications, electricity, roads, rubbish, and other services.
Norfolk Island is surrounded by a 430,000 square kilometre exclusive economic zone.
Until the Global Financial Crisis, the Norfolk Island administration was able to deliver balanced budgets and maintain full employment on the island.
Under the model of self-governance, the Australian Government retained veto powers over legislation and other government activities. In recent years, this was used to restrict activities aimed at providing a sustainable boost to the local economy. Examples include: canceling a contract for the cultivation of medicinal cannabis, preventing legislation allowing same-sex marriage, and refusing to allow commercial borrowing.
In May 2015, the Australian Government abolished the democratically elected Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly.
Following this move, a referendum on the island found more than two-thirds of Norfolk Islanders opposed the loss of self-governance. This result was ignored by the Australian Government.
From July 1, 2016, the Australian Government took full control of governance on Norfolk Island.
All public infrastructure, including government buildings, have been transferred to Commonwealth control. This includes income-generating assets such as Norfolk Telecom and the Norfolk Island Philatelic Bureau, the local radio station where staff critical of the changes were sacked, and services that had been built and maintained by the community including the school and hospital.
Tim Vollmer