In the Pacific Ocean, 1400 or so kilometres east from Australia, Norfolk Island is hunkered down against the threat of coronavirus. Without even an operating theatre, the virus' effect on the island, many of whom vulnerable to the disease it causes, would be devastating.
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The island's administrator, Eric Hutchinson, went on local radio last week to announce a lockdown on the island, with residents confined to their properties except for trips to buy food, medicine or fuel.
It came after there were 12 recorded breaches of social distancing requirements on the island of fewer than 2000 people.
"I believe that this community really is in lock step on this and it's just terribly disappointing that there are a small group of people - and I don't know what their motivations are or whether they're living under a rock or they have tin ears or whatever it is - but we are in a special situation here," Mr Hutchinson told listeners.
"We have an opportunity but at the same time we have huge risks presented to this community."
It's far from the only issue facing the island, however. Now five years since the federal government announced it was taking over the island's administration, ending self-government in an act many islanders call the "takeover", Norfolk Island still faces a raft of complex issues with many in the community left frustrated.
EDUCATION
At Norfolk Island Central School, which had more than 280 enrolments from kindergarten to Year 12 in 2018, students and teachers have no idea what will happen after June next year.
The NSW government has provided teachers and curriculum support to the island for generations but is set to walk away. The federal government is scrambling to find a replacement.
The school's parents and citizens association president, Joel Reeves, said he nor the school community knew where the process was up to or what would happen after June 2021.
"The last we were told was after the election last year, [the federal government] were waiting for cabinet to meet. And that's all we heard. They had to meet with cabinet before they could start approaching other states or whoever they wanted to, and that's the last we've heard," Mr Reeves said.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet said the NSW government agreed to provide a limited range of services to the island under a five-year agreement from 2016.
"The NSW Government is committed to working closely with the Commonwealth Government to ensure a smooth transition to new arrangements, which includes support for existing students to complete their NSW [higher school certificate] studies," the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications said it was not appropriate to "canvass government to government discussions on such matters, in the interests of ensuring ongoing negotiations are not affected".
"The Australian government is committed to the continuity of essential state services on Norfolk Island," the spokesperson said.
I'm not painting a very pretty picture, but there's not really a pretty picture to be painted
- Joel Reeves
Mr Reeves, who said he emails the department for an update each month and is told the same thing, said the school's students had so far been immune to the growing stress of the situation. There was supposed to be an answer in December, but months have passed.
"I don't like to think what could happen, you know. So I'm just hoping we can get something sorted out because it's starting to become - I mean, it's already an issue but it's starting to become a real issue," he said.
The department was also at pains to point out what it sees as gains for the island's population since the loss of self-government, including access to Medicare and the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
"At Norfolk Island Central school, there have been building and facility upgrades of more than $4 million, including new classroom furniture and ICT infrastructure," the department said in a statement.
In 2018-19, the department spent about $34.4 million on the island, growing from $10.6 million in the first year after self-government was revoked.
Mr Reeves said it was hard to understand any single problem on Norfolk Island without looking at others.
"I'm not painting a very pretty picture, but there's not really a pretty picture to be painted," he said.
HEALTH
Veterinarian Dr Candice Nobbs, who served on the island's hospital board before self-government ended, said recent improvements in specialist health services available to people on Norfolk Island would be lost if NSW pulled out.
"It really is a horrible situation to be put back in. Obviously for many years prior to 2015 we had a great relationship, I guess you could call it, with NSW," Dr Nobbs said.
"We weren't in this predicament until 2015 when they decided trying to remotely control the health system would be better. I mean, it's clearly not working because NSW doesn't want us."
Dr Nobbs said many islanders would not necessarily be better off under Medicare, which was introduced after self-government ended, but disability support services had improved. Overall, however, health services were still very limited.
"You've taken a system that wasn't broken and you've now broken it, and then you're trying - it's been two years - to find an alternative."
FREIGHT
Late in March, supermarket owner Geoff Bennett welcomed the first ship to the island since December, replenishing supplies in his supermarket's warehouse, which is the size of a big country distribution centre in Australia and carries between three and four months' supply of the 100 best-selling lines.
Mr Bennett said the ship could not carry everything the island needed in one voyage and cuts to the number of voyages meant the island would see persistent shortages.
"You can see there's already a back log after one of those voyages, so progressively through the year - six voyages instead of 12 - it's going to mean that unless there's some other means of carting significant amounts of groceries and building materials to the island, we are going to have shortages all the rest of the year," Mr Bennett said.
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The island does not have the ability to receive shipping containers, one of the last places left in the world still shipping the old-fashioned way. But it has meant access to ships able to service the island has dwindled, with number of planned voyages in 2020 halving.
Mr Bennett pointed out a parliamentary committee identified the problem 25 years ago but no progress had been made to fix the island's supply issues.
"It behoves our council and the Commonwealth to sit down and get it sorted. They just need to acquire a vessel that's suitable in size and suitable for the conditions so that we can operate business here knowing that our supplies are going to arrive in a regular manner," he said.
Labor MP David Smith, whose electorate of Bean represents the southern part of the ACT and Norfolk Island, spoke in Parliament in March about the shortages. He said the the island had benefited from Commonwealth governance but there were still "real and critical infrastructure issues".
"We need to work together to collectively address these. I can assure the residents of Norfolk Island that I will keep representing this proud community on these issues," Mr Smith said.
SELF-DETERMINATION
In July last year, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told Parliament the federal government was not considering reintroducing self-government for Norfolk Island.
"The government is committed to improving the services available to the Norfolk Island community, growing the local economy and addressing long-standing issues of sustainability," he said.
The island's Council of Elders and community groups have been lobbying for the island's right to manage its own affairs.
To treat Norfolk Island as just another NSW country town ignores its uniqueness and its unique place in history. The islanders deserve to have their autonomy given back.
- Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC
At the same time, Albert Buffet, 79, has appealed to the United Nations Human Rights Commission to have the Pitcairn Islanders, who settled Norfolk Island in 1856, recognised as indigenous and the revocation of self-government found to have endangered indigenous Norfolk Islanders' sovereignty.
The Australian government rejected the claim, which it said was error-ridden. A judgment is expected later this year.
Geoffrey Robertson, QC, the internationally recognised lawyer who took up the Pitcairners' cause at at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, said the recolonisation of the island was a breach of its people's rights to democratic representation.
"[People on Norfolk Island] tell me that rule from Canberra has brought no benefits other than foolish decisions, loss of dignity and insults to their community," Mr Robertson told the Sunday Canberra Times.
"Norfolk has two world heritage areas and almost half of its people are indigenous, descended from Bounty mutineers and Tahitian women with their own customs, traditions and language.
"To treat Norfolk Island as just another NSW country town ignores its uniqueness and its unique place in history. The islanders deserve to have their autonomy given back."