Seven years after Norfolk Island's parliament was abolished, the federal government is considering ways to restore self-rule in the remote Australian territory.
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The nine politicians in the legislative assembly of the island, about 1440km east of Brisbane, were sacked in 2015 after the Commonwealth decided it was broke and vital services had disintegrated.
A federal administrator was appointed alongside a local council, with residents enrolled to pay tax in Australia in return for having their health and education needs provided first by NSW, and then Queensland since last year.
The sudden end to 36 years of self-rule in the former convict hellhole has been bitterly opposed by some islanders, who at one point petitioned the UN to intervene to restore democracy.
A parliamentary committee launched an inquiry into restoring local government on Norfolk after seven years of hybrid rule.
Committee chair and Labor MP Alicia Payne said the panel will visit the territory to consult locals on the best model of government and revenue collection to fund services there.
"This inquiry is about the future of Norfolk Island, its governance and economic sustainability," she said in a statement on Thursday.
"Most importantly, the inquiry is focused on improving democracy for people on Norfolk Island. The views of the local community will be central to this process."
Ms Payne encouraged people to participate by making a submission at upcoming public hearings on Norfolk or to make confidential submissions before March 23.
Most locals are descendants of Fletcher Christian, his tiny band of British rogues and their Tahitian wives, who executed one of the great maritime heists of all time, the 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty.
Prior to the mutineers' arrival in 1856, Norfolk was home to one of the harshest penal colonies ever administered by Britain.
The island became an Australian territory in 1914 before it was granted self-government in 1979.
Australian Associated Press
