Opinion Norfolk Islands
Before Commonwealth Games,most people had not heard of Norfolk Islands.
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Most people have not heard of Carmen Anderson. Before Commonwealth Games (CWG),most people had not heard of Norfolk Islands (NI) either.
NI has only one CWG medal to its credit,won in 1994 in Victoria. That bronze medal was won by Carmen Anderson in lawn bowls,an event in which she also won the world championships in 1996. For CWG Delhi,NI has a contingent of 40 (including officials),concentrated in archery,shooting,squash and lawn bowls. To place this in context,NI has a population of 2100.
There are points to ponder about Commonwealth (CW),CWG and NI.
Despite its colonial origins,after a Singapore Declaration in 1971 and a Harare Declaration in 1991,the colonial link (even acceptance of English and the Queen as nominal Head of the Commonwealth) is more tenuous now.
Why else should Mozambique become a member and Sudan,Algeria,Madagascar and Yemen apply? The emphasis is more on abiding by principles of democracy,good governance,rule of law,world peace,individual liberty,human rights,equality,multilateralism and free trade and there are pending proposals on changing rules for membership.
If that is the case,notwithstanding CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting),Commonwealth Secretariat,Association of Commonwealth Universities,Commonwealth Scholarship,Commonwealth Lawyers Association and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association,what purpose does CW serve?
Beyond calling Ambassadors High Commissioners,there must be a common goal and homogeneity. Thats not been easy to achieve and historically,there have been tensions between Old Commonwealth and some African countries,including over the Singapore and Harare principles. Thats understandable. The interests of larger countries cant be the same as those of Nauru (the smallest member,with a population of 10,000). Participation in CWG isnt restricted to 54 members (Fiji remains suspended) and thats how NI comes in.
Though NI is largely self-governed,it is part of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Historically,it is also an interesting exercise in Greenfield development,since it was uninhabited when James Cook discovered it in 1774. (He named it after the Duchess of Norfolk,though she was already dead in 1774.)
Initially,that development was on sourcing flax and hemp from NI. Penal settlements followed and then descendants of mutineers from HMS Bounty relocated from Pitcairn Island.
There are no Australian federal taxes and there is no income tax. Other than indirect taxes,revenue sources are through what one would call fees,not taxes. History and negative population rates of growth apart,there is an interesting model if India ever wishes to create a free economic zone.
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