File picture of Norfolk Island Chief Minister David Buffett with residents of Norfolk Island. Pic: Kym Smith Source: News Corp Australia

Former Speaker David Buffett says he’s disgusted by the Federal Government’s actions, with members of the Legislative Assembly called to a meeting on Tuesday and told it would cease to exist as of midnight on Wednesday.

He said the Federal Government’s administrator Gary Hardgrave also advised them they’d have to be out of their offices by close of business on Thursday.

“It is disgusting,” he said on Friday.

Mr Buffett said it reflected the way Norfolk Island has been treated since Canberra decided to end the self-governance the territory had enjoyed since 1979.

The territory’s legislative assembly is being replaced with a regional council.

The Federal Government claimed the change was necessary to address the territory’s economic problems, debt, reliance on federal handouts, and what’s been called a second-class existence for islanders when it came to essential services.

Under the new regime, islanders will pay tax in Australia and will get access to Australia’s welfare and health care systems from July next year.

A Community Advisory Council will manage the transition to the new local government-style arrangement.

Norfolk Islanders still want to self govern, despite having their government dissolved. Picture: Angela Saurine Source: Supplied

Mr Buffett, who was to have been on the transitional council, said he’d been dumped from that body after publicly criticising the Federal Government’s plan for the territory’s future governance. Former chief minister Lisle Snell says he’s shattered by such an undignified end to the territory’s self-rule.

He said MPs had always known the sun would set on the Legislative Assembly at the end of June.

“But we were only given 36 hours notice once they’d made up their minds that it was going to be mid-June, rather than June 30,” he said.

“Thirty-six hours notice to vacate the buildings. Nobody else is going to use them. Why be so bloody nasty about it. It’s appalling.”

Mr Snell said Norfolk Islanders were angry about how they’d been treated, and viewed the changes as a return to colonialism.

“We are presided over, ruled by a dictator, an administrator not elected by the people of this island,” he said.

Norfolk Island’s Former chief minister Lisle Snell. Pic Stephen Cooper Source: News Corp Australia

“They didn’t even have the decency to transfer five members of the elected government to the advisory council. Oh no, that was too democratic. Instead they nominated their own puppets.” Mr Snell said islanders would continue to fight some of the changes, most notably the plan to put NSW in charge of providing services such as health, education and policing.

“This is definitely not over. The island people will now gather themselves and look at the ramifications of the new government system that’s being imposed on us, against our will,” he said. “We recognise Norfolk Island needed to have some reforms, but not at the expense of the legal, democratically elected system of governance that we had.”

A spokesman for Assistant Infrastructure and Development Minister Jamie Briggs rejected claims the assembly had not been properly warned it would be dissolved.

“On 28 May ... all Norfolk Island MLAs were formally advised that the legislative assembly would be closed in mid-June, to allow for commencement of the Advisory Council on 1 July,” he said in a statement.

“Reforms to Norfolk Island, which have the overwhelming support of the community, will improve service delivery, boost economic growth and ensure local residents have access to the same level of essential services and entitlements as those residing on the mainland and other external territories.”

He said the Australian government would continue to engage with the community to ensure all residents remained well-informed, and had a strong voice during the transition period.