[?]o Sign of Promised
pp. 33-34 · Read in the full issue
[?]orfolk Referendum
m a Norfolk Island Correspondent More than 12 months have w passed since the Minister • Territories, Mr. Hasluck, imised Norfolk Islanders a erendum on how they wanted nr island governed, but there still no sign of the referendum \ng held. lEN Mr. Hasluck visited Nor folk in August last year, he there were four possible pro s that could be voted on at the sndum. These were that the Nor- Island Council should: Assume some or all of the rs set down in the Norfolk d Ordinance (which give it con of roads, footpaths, sewerage, ation, recreation areas, livestock, houses, electricity and water ly, lighterage, buses, taxis, public tainment places, tourist promo trading hours and income from sale of liquor and the public s tax).
Limit itself to advising the Ad rtrator and scrutinising ordin 5.
Advise and associate itself with Administrator in some executive ions and in recommending the lates.
Seek extensive powers and func along the lines favoured by of its elected members.
Act as Advisors ie powers that most council ibers favour include complete •ol of revenue and expenditure, jr to make the island’s laws ject to Commonwealth Parlia t approval), freedom of initiative eveloping the island, and a new titution for the Council so that n have six or eight elected mem ; with the Administrator as ex io chairman. otil these powers are granted, the icil has refused to take over the tvs that have been granted it in Norfolk Island Ordinance. Its function now is to advise the linistrator. It has even refused to t in the Council Chambers at jston, but uses instead the chilly son Hall.
Tien Mr. Hasluck outlined his tosals for a referendum, he said: am not convinced that I know will of the people on the future your council.”
He also made it clear that he re garded it as his responsibility to ascertain the people’s wishes on the council’s activities and to place the matter before Cabinet in Canberra for a final decision.
Mr. Hasluck suggested that ex planatory pamphlets should be printed and circulated at Government expense to set out each set of pro posals thought worthy of examina tion.
He offered assistance from officers of the Territories Department in giv ing precision to the proposals so that electors would be fully aware of what was involved in the referendum. He said he hoped the vote would be taken “early in 1962”.
In March this year when the coun cil president, Mr. F. J. Needham, wrote to Mr. Hasluck asking if a date had been fixed for the referen dum, Mr. Hasluck replied that the ordinance authorising the referendum had not been drafted and that the Parliamentary draftsman was a very busy man. He added that he would ask the Attorney-General to give the matter priority and that the council would hear further through the Ad ministrator.
In July, the hand of the eight-man Council was further strengthened following the re-election of all four retiring members. But Norfolk’s un usual political set-up has been some what altered by the arrival of the
new Administrator, Mr. R. H. Words worth, and this may result in further delays in holding the referendum.
At the August council meeting, the Administrator was invited to “sit in”, but when the meeting got under way it was obvious that he was going to do more than just sit.
Attended by the Official Secretary, Mr. Donovan, the Administrator got into the meeting “boots and all”. In deed, it was difficult at times to de cide who was conducting the meeting —the president, Mr. Needham, or the Administrator!
At the Administrator’s request, motions before council were amended, deferred or re-phrased be fore being voted on. The meeting continued until after midnight, watched by a silent throng of nine residents.
This obvious togetherness of Ad ministrator and council is pleasant to observe after the previous two years’ verbal battle between the council and the former Administrator, Mr. R. S.
Leydin. Mr. Wordsworth will be a popular Administrator—and is in fact already.
Some residents feel that the refer endum may now be deferred in definitely.
But others feel that it is the only means of getting local affairs out of cloud cuckoo land and on a stable footing; that no amount of close co operation with the Administrator will make it take up the reins of partial self-government under the present ordinance.