Former Norfolk Chief Minister says community fearful

Transcript

Norfolk's most recent former chief minister is taking the administrator to task for his claims people are embracing Canberra's changes on the island.

Tomorrow Norfolk Island will a regional government under New South Wales with federal oversight of most key government services.

The administrator Gary Hardgrave says the people are embracing the change and he rejected a Chamber of Commerce view that significant numbers of businesses are closing.

Mr Hardgrave said other new businesses are on the way.

But Lisle Snell, who will sit on the new regional council, told Don Wiseman the view he does not have a rosy view of the Norfolk Island economy.

LISLE SNELL: What Mr Hardgrave is saying certainly contravenes my view of the situation. My view of the situation is that business is closing. I know of three businesses that are closing on the 1st of the July because they no longer wish to conduct business here because of the taxation system. The new  regulatory requirements that are being imposed there is still a lot of uncertainty on the island. The community is very upset about what is happening to our medical centre, our hospital, particularly in the pharmacy. They're concerned at some of the other infrastructure developments that have gone on, particularly at the school, so no, I would definitely state there is not a keen acceptance of the new arrangements by the majority of people on the island.

DON WISEMAN: The administrator also says that the hospital is going to be upgraded and brought up to the sort of standard people would expect in the mainland. Are there signs that that is happening?

LS: I was up at the hospital yesterday, and again, it was a hospital of uncertainty, of sadness, of despair, of stress, of what is happening there. Certainly they are taking out concrete ramps and putting in the wooden ones, which we find amazing that they would do such a thing. The closing of the pharmacy at the hospital, where now if you want a script you go to the doctor at the hospital but then you've got to go to a public chemist who may be there, who may not be there, who may be open or not open, who may have the drugs or not. There's no government control over that particular person…

DW: Of course with that I think Gary Hardgrave would say I think legitimately, that that's what happens on the mainland,  certainly its happens in New Zealand.  

LS: But in New Zealand there are 24/7 pharmacies available that you can go to, all night chemists. Here on Norfolk Island that will not be a possibility now. At the hospital it used to be if you had a problem at midnight you could go to the hospital and get the attention and get the necessary drug, and now with the chemist that is not on the premises and also not open and available 24 hours a day

DW: Now through this process, this year long process of the removal of the autonomy from Norfolk Island, there have been a lot of protests. The key one I guess is this appeal to the UN for non-self-governing territory status. Where are you at with that?

LS: It's still being considered. We on the island haven't been given any firm indication, whilst we've had very complimentary results from our applications and assurances that all is being done, we haven't had any confirmation from the U.N itself.

DW: On Friday this change happens, but is it the end of the matter as far as Norfolk Island is concerned?

LS: Not as far as Norfolk Island is concerned. It's not the end of the matter. We have to go along with the freight train that is ploughing through Norfolk Island under the guise of the commonwealth government we have to go along with that because we've got no choice. But as far as getting autonomy back we will never stop trying and fighting for that.