Lord Howe Island Board
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Responsibilities
Its duties include the:
- protection of World Heritage values
- control of development
- administration of Crown Land, including the island’s protected area, the Permanent Park Preserve
- provision of community services and infrastructure
- delivery of sustainable tourism
The Lord Howe Island Regulation 2014 give effect to the LHI Act by establishing measures for administration including: Board elections, licensing of businesses, environment protection, sale and consumption of alcohol, and placed the board under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993.
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Composition
Since 2004 the Board has comprised seven members, four of whom are elected from the islander community, thus giving the approximately 350 permanent residents a high level of autonomy. The remaining three members (including the Chairperson) are appointed by the Minister of whom:
- One appointee must represent the interests of business and tourism.
- One appointee must represent the interests of conservation.
- One appointee must be an employee of the Department of Planning and Environment.
The full Board meets quarterly on the island while the day-to-day affairs of the island are managed by the Board’s administration which operates in a similar manner to a local government authority in New South Wales, with a permanent staff of 50 led by a Chief Executive Officer.
Legislative history
The Board dates back to 1913, when the Sydney-based Lord Howe Island Board of Control was formed to replace a single magistrate appointed by the NSW Government. The Lord Howe Island Board of Control comprised three members appointed by the Chief Secretary of New South Wales, mostly to regulate the palm seed industry, but also administering the affairs of the island from Sydney until the present Lord Howe Island Board was set up in 1954.
The Lord Howe Island Board commenced operations from 23 April 1954 and comprised five members appointed by the Chief Secretary. The members included the Under Secretary of the Chief Secretary's Department (as Chairman), the responsible Member of Parliament (the Member of the Legislative Assembly for King until 1973), a nominee of the Secretary for Lands (in practice the Under Secretary of the Department of Lands), and two appointed members from the Lord Howe Island Advisory Committee.
In 1981, the Lord Howe Island Amendment Act gave islanders the administrative power of three elected members on a five-member board. Under the Lord Howe Island Amendment Act, 2004, the board now comprises seven members, four of whom are elected from the islander community.