17 Mar 2015

Norfolk Islanders to vote on their future

4:09 pm on 17 March 2015

People on Norfolk Island may have a chance to air their views on the future of the island in a referendum.

The chief minister of the Norfolk Island Assembly, Lisle Snell, says he will move a motion in the assembly tomorrow to allow the locals a voice in discussions on its governance structure.

Norfolk Island Flag

Norfolk Island Flag Photo: None

Last year, the Australian Government indicated it may bring an end to Norfolk's limited self-governance by scrapping the assembly and reducing it to the level of a shire council.

The island's 1800 residents, many of who are descendants of the mutineers from the HMS Bounty, oppose Canberra's plan to end its autonomy, and say the plan would hark back to its colonial past, by providing an administrator appointed by Canberra.