Editing Norfolk Island (section)

==== 20th century ====
[[File:Norfolk Island Act 1913 Proclamation.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Norfolk Island Act 1913 Proclamation, effective 1 July 1914]]
The [[Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia]] accepted the territory by the ''Norfolk Island Act 1913'' (Cth),<ref name=Roberts-Wray />{{rp|p 886}}<ref name="Norfolk Island Act 1913"/> subject to British agreement; the Act received royal assent on 19 December 1913. In preparation for the handover, a proclamation by the [[Governor of New South Wales]] on 23 December 1913 (in force when gazetted on 24 December) repealed "all laws heretofore in force in Norfolk Island" and replaced them by re-enacting a list of such laws.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228062258 |title=Proclamation |newspaper=[[Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales|NSW Government Gazette]] |issue=205 |date=24 December 1913 |access-date=9 June 2018 |page=7659 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215223249/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228062258 |url-status=live }}</ref> Among those laws was the ''Administration Law 1913'' (NSW), which provided for appointment of an Administrator of Norfolk Island and of magistrates, and contained a code of criminal law.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228062258/13708387 |title=Administration Law 1913 |newspaper=[[Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales|NSW Government Gazette]] |issue=205 |date=24 December 1913 |access-date=9 June 2018 |page=7663 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142059/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228062258/13708387 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref>

British agreement was expressed on 30 March 1914, in a UK [[Order in Council]]<ref name="Proclamation: Norfolk Island Act 1913"/> made pursuant to the ''Australian Waste Lands Act'' 1855 (Imp).<ref name="Australian Waste Lands Act"/><ref name=Roberts-Wray>{{cite book|last=Roberts-Wray|first=Kenneth|title=Commonwealth and Colonial Law|location=London|publisher=Stevens|date=1966}}</ref>{{rp|p 886}} A proclamation by the [[Governor-General of Australia]] on 17 June 1914 gave effect to the Act and the Order as from 1 July 1914.<ref name="Proclamation: Norfolk Island Act 1913"/>

During [[World War II]], the island became a key [[Norfolk Island Airport|airbase]] and refuelling depot between [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] and between [[New Zealand]] and the [[Solomon Islands]]. The airstrip was constructed by Australian, New Zealand and United States servicemen during 1942.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.norfolkisland.com.au/about-norfolk/general-information|title=There's More to Norfolk Island|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422134632/http://www.norfolkisland.com.au/about-norfolk/general-information|archive-date=22 April 2016}}</ref> Since Norfolk Island fell within New Zealand's area of responsibility, it was garrisoned by a [[New Zealand Army]] unit known as [[N Force]] at a large army camp that had the capacity to house a 1,500-strong force. N Force relieved a company of the [[Second Australian Imperial Force]]. The island proved too remote to come under attack during the war, and N Force left the island in February 1944.

In 1979, Norfolk Island was granted limited self-government by Australia, under which the island elected a government that ran most of the island's affairs.<ref name="Norfolk Island Act 1979"/>