Norfolk Island flies the flag Internationally!

Norfolk Island is in the news and its flag flying high around the globe …..

“Norfolk Island becomes first nation to hoist flag at Village” was the heading to a media release received from New Delhi last Tuesday where our 33-member Commonwealth Games delegation were reported to have “clapped and swayed to the tunes of bhangra and fusion music played by students of a city school in their honour.”. The press release went on to say “The delegation, comprising 22 athletes, had moved into the Village on Sunday. The members were today out strolling in the hot sun to get a feel of the entire 63.5 hectare area of the campus….”. Well done Norfolk.

Norfolk Island has a voice at the 56^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Nairobi Kenya

The Norfolk flag was also proudly displayed by the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Lisle Snell MLA, who represented Norfolk Island at the 56^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held two weeks ago in Nairobi Kenya. Our photo shows the Deputy Speaker during one of the plenary sessions. On the opposite page is part 1 of a News Release issued by CPA Headquarters in London at the conclusion of the CPA Conference. We will conclude the press release in next week’s Your Parliament Your Voice along with a Report by Deputy Speaker Snell on his participation at the plenary conference and at the Small Nations Conference.

National Police Remembrance Day

On Wednesday 29 September 2010 the Chief Minister, the Hon David Buffett AM MLA, and I, as the Speaker, attended the National Police Remembrance Day Service which was held at 10 am in All Saints Church at Kingston. A very moving service was conducted under the guidance of the Reverend Canon Stuart Broughton. Warm words of welcome and remembrance were spoken, hymns of inspiration were sung and prayers were read, including The Police Prayer read by the Chief Minister; and the poem I Am (Remembrance) read by Mr George Smith AM, former Chief Minister & Minister for Police in the Norfolk Island Government.

Territories Law Reform Bill 2010 (Commonwealth)

Norfolk Island is in the news in Canberra – this time in the Commonwealth of Australia Parliament – where on 29 September 2010 the Federal Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Simon Crean MP, tabled the Territories Law Reform Bill 2010 in the Federal Parliament. Readers will recall that this Bill, which was on referral to the Australian Senate, lapsed with the double dissolution of the Federal Parliament earlier this year. Debate on the Bill stands adjourned. For Hansard of debate on the Bill when introduced go to http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr290910.pdf.

The Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water is the leader of the Nationals in the Senate; Senator Barnaby Joyce. He replaces Hon Bruce Bilson who was the Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Tourism in the previous opposition government. Hon Bruce Bilson is now Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs.

Issued from the Office of the Speaker on 1 October 2010 and posted on the blog site http://yourparliamentyourvoice.blogspot.com/

Assembly documents can now be accessed on www.info.gov.nf