Politics of Norfolk Island
Encyclopedia
Politics of Norfolk Island takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
representative democratic
entity. Norfolk Island
is the only non-mainland Australian territory
to have achieved self-governance. The Norfolk Island Act 1979
, passed by the Parliament of Australia
in 1979, is the Act under which the island is governed.
In a move that apparently surprised many islanders the Chief Minister of Norfolk Island David Buffett announced on 6 November 2010 that the island would voluntary surrender its self-governing status in return for a financial bailout from the federal government to cover significant debts.
maintains authority on the island through an Administrator (currently Owen Walsh
) who is appointed by the Governor-General of Australia
. Four of the members of the Assembly form the Executive Council
, which devises policy and acts as an advisory body to the Administrator. This council is headed by the Administrator of Norfolk Island.
|Administrator
|Owen Walsh
|
|October 2008
|-
|Head of Government
|David Buffett
|
|24 March 2010
|}
is elected by popular vote for a term of not more than three years, although legislation passed by the Australian Parliament can extend its laws to the territory at will. The Assembly consists of nine seats, with electors casting nine equal votes, of which no more than four can be given to any individual candidate. It is a method of voting called a "weighted first past the post system". All seats are held by independent candidates as Norfolk Island does not have political parties
.
Local ordinances and acts apply on the island, where most laws are based on the Australian legal system. Australian common law applies when not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law. Suffrage
is universal at age eighteen.
granted permission to Pitcairn Islanders to re-settle on the island. These views have been repeatedly rejected by the Australian parliament's joint committee on territories, most recently in 2004, and were also rejected by the High Court of Australia
in Berwick Limited v R R Gray Deputy Commissioner of Taxation.
Disagreements over the island's relationship with Australia have been put in sharper relief by a 2006 review undertaken by the Australian government. Under the more radical of two proposed models proposed as a result of the review, the island's legislative assembly would be reduced to the status of a local council
.
The island is subject to separate immigration controls from the remainder of the nation.
Australian citizens and residents from other parts of the nation do not have automatic right of residence on the island. Australian citizens must carry either a passport
or a Document of Identity
to travel to Norfolk Island. Citizens of all other nations must carry a passport to travel to Norfolk Island even if arriving from other parts of Australia. Non-Australians without a multiple entry visa to Australia (or authority to enter without a visa) will be refused entry if they try to return to mainland Australia from Norfolk Island.
Residency on Norfolk Island requires sponsorship by an existing resident of Norfolk Island or a business operating on the island. Temporary residency may also be granted to skilled workers necessary for the island's services – examples are medical, government and teaching staff.
Permanent residents of Norfolk Island may apply for Australian citizenship after meeting normal residence requirements. Children born on Norfolk Island are Australian citizens as specified by Australian nationality law
.
Residents of Norfolk Island who are citizens of Australia and meet the normal enrolment requirements are entitled, but not required, to enrol to vote in Australian federal elections and once enrolled must vote. However, the island is not covered by a particular electorate. Islanders are entitled enrol in an Australian state electorate to which they have a close connection, or if not applicable, in the Australian Capital Territory
electorate of Canberra
or the Northern Territory
electorate of Solomon
.
Medicare
does not cover Norfolk Island. All visitors to Norfolk Island, including Australians, are recommended to purchase travel insurance. Serious medical conditions are not treated on the island and are instead flown off. This cost can amount to tens of thousands of dollars to the user if travel insurance is not taken out.
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
entity. Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
is the only non-mainland Australian territory
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
to have achieved self-governance. The Norfolk Island Act 1979
Norfolk Island Act 1979
The Norfolk Island Act 1979 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia. It granted the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island limited self-government....
, passed by the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
in 1979, is the Act under which the island is governed.
In a move that apparently surprised many islanders the Chief Minister of Norfolk Island David Buffett announced on 6 November 2010 that the island would voluntary surrender its self-governing status in return for a financial bailout from the federal government to cover significant debts.
Executive branch
The Australian GovernmentGovernment of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
maintains authority on the island through an Administrator (currently Owen Walsh
Owen Walsh
Owen Edward John Walsh is the current Administrator of the Australian territory of Norfolk Island.Walsh was educated at the University of Tasmania, from which he graduated with degrees in Arts and Law...
) who is appointed by the Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. Four of the members of the Assembly form the Executive Council
Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)
An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.Executive Councillors are informally...
, which devises policy and acts as an advisory body to the Administrator. This council is headed by the Administrator of Norfolk Island.
|Administrator
Administrative heads of Norfolk Island
The Administrator of Norfolk Island acts as a representative both of the Crown and of the Australian Federal Government, as well as carrying out other duties according to the Norfolk Island Act 1979....
|Owen Walsh
Owen Walsh
Owen Edward John Walsh is the current Administrator of the Australian territory of Norfolk Island.Walsh was educated at the University of Tasmania, from which he graduated with degrees in Arts and Law...
|
|October 2008
|-
|Head of Government
Heads of government of Norfolk Island
-List of Heads of Government of Norfolk Island:...
|David Buffett
David Buffett
David Ernest Buffett AM is a political figure from the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. He is the current Chief Minister of Norfolk Island since March 2010, a position he has held on three previous occasions...
|
|24 March 2010
|}
Legislative branch
The Norfolk Legislative AssemblyNorfolk Legislative Assembly
The Norfolk Legislative Assembly is the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian parliament, its first members were elected on the tenth of August 1979 . The current assembly is the 13th, and was elected on 17 March 2010 ...
is elected by popular vote for a term of not more than three years, although legislation passed by the Australian Parliament can extend its laws to the territory at will. The Assembly consists of nine seats, with electors casting nine equal votes, of which no more than four can be given to any individual candidate. It is a method of voting called a "weighted first past the post system". All seats are held by independent candidates as Norfolk Island does not have political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
.
Local ordinances and acts apply on the island, where most laws are based on the Australian legal system. Australian common law applies when not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law. Suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
is universal at age eighteen.
Political parties and elections
Relationship with Australia
Controversy exists as to the exact status of Norfolk Island. Despite the island's status as a self-governing territory of Australia, some Islanders claim that it was actually granted independence at the time Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
granted permission to Pitcairn Islanders to re-settle on the island. These views have been repeatedly rejected by the Australian parliament's joint committee on territories, most recently in 2004, and were also rejected by the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
in Berwick Limited v R R Gray Deputy Commissioner of Taxation.
Disagreements over the island's relationship with Australia have been put in sharper relief by a 2006 review undertaken by the Australian government. Under the more radical of two proposed models proposed as a result of the review, the island's legislative assembly would be reduced to the status of a local council
Local government in Australia
Local government in Australia is the third tier of government, administered by the states and territories which in turn are beneath the Commonwealth or federal tier. Unlike New Zealand, the US or the UK, there is only one level of local government in all states, with no distinction such as...
.
The island is subject to separate immigration controls from the remainder of the nation.
Australian citizens and residents from other parts of the nation do not have automatic right of residence on the island. Australian citizens must carry either a passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
or a Document of Identity
Document of Identity (Australia)
A Document of Identity is a form of identification issued to Australian citizens by the Federal Government of Australia. The primary purpose of the Document of Identity is to allow an Australian citizen to travel to Norfolk Island without the need for a passport...
to travel to Norfolk Island. Citizens of all other nations must carry a passport to travel to Norfolk Island even if arriving from other parts of Australia. Non-Australians without a multiple entry visa to Australia (or authority to enter without a visa) will be refused entry if they try to return to mainland Australia from Norfolk Island.
Residency on Norfolk Island requires sponsorship by an existing resident of Norfolk Island or a business operating on the island. Temporary residency may also be granted to skilled workers necessary for the island's services – examples are medical, government and teaching staff.
Permanent residents of Norfolk Island may apply for Australian citizenship after meeting normal residence requirements. Children born on Norfolk Island are Australian citizens as specified by Australian nationality law
Australian nationality law
Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian, and is based primarily on the principle of Jus soli. The status of Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 which received Royal Assent on 21 December 1948 and came into force on...
.
Residents of Norfolk Island who are citizens of Australia and meet the normal enrolment requirements are entitled, but not required, to enrol to vote in Australian federal elections and once enrolled must vote. However, the island is not covered by a particular electorate. Islanders are entitled enrol in an Australian state electorate to which they have a close connection, or if not applicable, in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
electorate of Canberra
Division of Canberra
The Division of Canberra is an Australian Electoral Division in the Australian Capital Territory. The division was created in 1974 from the southern half of the old Division of Australian Capital Territory...
or the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
electorate of Solomon
Division of Solomon
The Division of Solomon is an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. It covers the cities of Darwin and Palmerston...
.
Medicare
Medicare (Australia)
Medicare is Australia's publicly funded universal health care system, operated by the government authority Medicare Australia. Medicare is intended to provide affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all resident citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island...
does not cover Norfolk Island. All visitors to Norfolk Island, including Australians, are recommended to purchase travel insurance. Serious medical conditions are not treated on the island and are instead flown off. This cost can amount to tens of thousands of dollars to the user if travel insurance is not taken out.