Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly

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Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly
Coat of arms of Norfolk Island.svg
Type
Type
History
Founded10 August 1979
Disbanded17 June 2015
Preceded by Norfolk Island Council
Succeeded by Norfolk Island Regional Council
Structure
Seats9
Political groups
  Independent (8)
  Liberal (1)
Meeting place
Old Military Barracks, Quality Row, Kingston, Norfolk Island, South Pacific

The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island from 1979 to 2015. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian Parliament, its first members were elected on 10 August 1979. [1] The last assembly was the 14th, elected on 13 March 2013. [2] [3] On 17 June 2015, the Australian Government abolished the assembly, ending self-government on the island. Norfolk Island Regional Council, a local government body instituted under New South Wales law and with significantly-restricted powers, was established in July 2016 to perform local-level governance on the island.

Contents

Membership

The Assembly had 9 members, elected for a three-year term. The Assembly was elected by a popular vote for a term of not more than three years. Electors each had nine equal votes, which could be divided in any way between candidates, but no more than two votes could be given to any particular individual candidate. This variation of cumulative voting is called the "weighted first past the post system".

All nine seats were held by independents, as Norfolk Island did not have major political parties. However, a local branch of the Australian Labor Party was active.

On 20 March 2013, the first meeting of the 14th Legislative Assembly elected Chief Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker: [4]

Abolition

In March 2015, the Australian government announced that the Assembly would be replaced with a regional council, as part of a plan to bring the governance of Norfolk Island into line with the rest of Australia. [5] A five-person Community Advisory Council would be set up to manage the transition, with Chief Minister Snell and Speaker Buffett being invited to be members. [6]

In 2014, Snell travelled to Canberra to argue against a complete change to the arrangements governing the island. He did not oppose the island joining Australia's tax and welfare system, but maintained that it should retain similar powers to a state or territory government. [7]

Snell's overtures and a non-binding referendum held on the island were unsuccessful, and the Assembly met for the last time on 17 June 2015.

After a transition period of more than a year, local government power was officially returned to Norfolk Island with the establishment of the Norfolk Island Regional Council on 1 July 2016, with the Commonwealth continuing to govern the island for all but local-level matters.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Island</span> External territory of Australia

Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. At the 2021 census, it had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2 (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Norfolk Island</span> Political system of Norfolk Island

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.

Norfuk or Norf'k is the language spoken on Norfolk Island by the local residents. It is a blend of 18th-century English and Tahitian, originally introduced by Pitkern-speaking settlers from the Pitcairn Islands. Along with English, it is the co-official language of Norfolk Island.

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Geoffrey Robert Gardner is a political figure from the Australian territory of Norfolk Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of Queensland</span> Governing body of Queensland, Australia

The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral state legislature in the country since the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1922. The Legislative Assembly sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Brisbane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections and parties in Norfolk Island</span>

Norfolk Island elects on territorial level a legislature. The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly has 9 members, elected for a three-year term. The last assembly was the 14th, elected on 13 March 2013. On 17 June 2015, the Australian government abolished the assembly, ending self-government on the island. Norfolk Island Regional Council, a local government body with significantly-restricted powers, was established in July 2016 to perform local-level governance on the island.

Government in Australia is elected by universal suffrage and Australian women participate in all levels of the government of the nation. In 1902, the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia became the first nation on earth to enact equal suffrage, enabling women to both vote and stand for election alongside men Women have been represented in Australian state parliaments since 1921, and in the Federal Parliament since 1943. The first female leader of an Australian State or Territory was elected in 1989, and the first female Prime Minister took office in 2010. In 2019 for the first time, a majority of members of the Australian Senate were women. At the time of its foundation in 1901, and again from 1952 to 2022, Australia has had a female monarch as ceremonial Head of State, while the first female Governor of an Australian State was appointed in 1991, and the first female Governor-General of Australia took office in 2008.

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David Ernest Buffett AM is a political figure from the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. He served as Chief Minister of Norfolk Island from March 2010 to March 2013; he has also held the position three previous occasions. He is the longest-serving member of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly, having served on every Assembly since it was established in 1979.

Lisle Denis Snell is a Norfolk Island politician, who from 20 March 2013 until 17 June 2015 was the final Chief Minister of Norfolk Island. He also served as Minister for Tourism. Both offices were abolished, along with the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly in 2015 by the Government of Australia.

The 2010 Norfolk Island legislative election was held on 17 March 2010 to elect the 13th Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly, the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island.

Robin Eleanor Adams is a Norfolk Islander politician. Adams was elected to the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly in 2010, becoming the body's first female speaker. When the assembly was dissolved five years later, she became a member of the Norfolk Island Regional Council and was elected as mayor of the island, a position she held until the entire council was dismissed in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Norfolk Island legislative election</span> Election in Norfolk

The 2013 Norfolk Island legislative election was held on 13 March 2013 to elect the 14th Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly, the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Norfolk Island local election</span>

The 2016 Norfolk Island local election was held on 28 May 2016 to elect the Norfolk Island Regional Council, the local government body of Norfolk Island.

The 1979 Norfolk Island legislative election was held on 10 August 1979 to elect the 1st Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly, the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island.

A referendum was held in Norfolk Island on 8 May 2015, asking residents if they should have a say in determining the island's political status. The referendum was successful, although the result was non-binding.

References

  1. ↑ "Assembly". Norfolk.gov.nf. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "Members". Norfolk.gov.nf. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  3. ↑ "Election 2010". Election.gov.nf. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "INAUGURAL SITTING OF THE FOURTEENTH LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY and ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW NORFOLK ISLAND 14th ASSEMBLY MINISTERS". norfolkonlinenews.com. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Medhora, Shalailah (19 March 2015). "Norfolk Island self-government to be replaced by local council". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Briggs, Jamie. "Delivering a stronger and more prosperous Norfolk Island". Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Glenday, James (19 March 2015). "Norfolk Island residents to pay income tax, parliament will be replaced by local council under Cabinet plan". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
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