Norfolk Island: Government#
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island conventional short form: Norfolk Island etymology: named by British explorer Captain James COOK after Mary HOWARD, Duchess of Norfolk, in 1774 |
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Dependency status | self-governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport |
Government type | parliamentary democracy (formerly the Legislative Assembly); overseas territory of Australia; note - in May 2015, the Australian Parliament passed the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 which abolished Norfolk Island self-government and replaced it with an interim Advisory Council effective 1 July 2015 |
Capital | Kingston
Kingston
geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) |
National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
Constitution | previous 1913, 1957; latest effective 7 August 1979; amended many times, last in 2015 (2016) |
Legal system | English common law and the laws of Australia |
Citizenship | see Australia |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Gary HARDGRAVE (since 1 July 2014) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 4 Legislative Assembly members elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia for a 2-year term and represents the monarch and Australia |
Legislative branch | description: unicameral Norfolk Island Regional Council (5 seats; members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: elections last held 28 May 2016; next to be held 2020 election results: party by seats - independents 5 note: following an administrative restructuring of local government, the Legislative Assembly was dissolved on 18 June 2015 to be replaced by an interim Norfolk Island Advisory Council effective 1 July 2015; the Advisory Council consisted of 5 members appointed by the Norfolk Island administrator based on nominations from the community; following elections on 28 May 2016, the new Norfolk Island Regional Council commenced operations on 1 July 2016 |
Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of Norfolk Island (consists of the chief justice and several justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island are heard by the Federal Court and the High Court of Australia judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor general of Australia from among justices of the Federal Court of Australia; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Petty Court of Sessions; specialized courts including a Coroner's Court and the Employment Tribunal |
Political parties and leaders | Norfolk Island Labor Party (Mike KELLY) Norfolk Liberals (John BROWN) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none |
International organization participation | UPU |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) |
Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band; green stands for the rich vegetation on the island, and the pine tree - endemic to the island - is a symbol of Norfolk Island note: somewhat reminiscent of the flag of Canada with its use of only two colors and depiction of a prominent local floral symbol in the central white band; also resembles the green and white triband of Nigeria |
National symbol(s) | Norfolk Island pine |
National anthem | name: "Come Ye Blessed" lyrics/music: New Testament/John Prindle SCOTT note: the local anthem, whose lyrics consist of the words from Matthew 25:34-36, 40, is also known as "The Pitcairn Anthem;" as a territory of Australia, "God Save the Queen" is official (see Australia); however, the island does not recognize "Advance Australia Fair" |