STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (13:52): It was an honour a few weeks ago to be invited by Norfolk Islanders to Bounty Day. It commemorates the 1856 arrival of Pitcairn Islanders, the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions to the island, and the start of the current chapter of their culture on the island.

It is an extraordinary day of celebration, of commemoration and of community on an island for those that have a real sense of valuing their place in the world, their island and their community. I was struck by the sense of community that people had and the pride many Norfolk Islanders who now live here in Australia have in going back to Norfolk Island for Bounty Day to partake in the celebration.

It also struck me that this is a community that, after four years of promises, still have no local representation, no democratically elected council or anything really that allows them to have a say in the day-to-day goings-on that affect their community. That is not good enough. It is not good enough that we have a community here in Australia that has no local representation.

Despite promises made to them by the Labor government, despite the NCET committee visiting there and making some really strong recommendations, they are falling between the cracks when it comes to grant applications. There's nowhere for them to apply to when it comes to things like prac payments for young teachers on the island. It seems you're covered anywhere in Australia except Norfolk Island.

These are things that this parliament needs to fix.