Principality of Hutt River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto: none Musical Anthem: tba, by Jon English |
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| Type of entity: | Micronation |
| Location: | near Geraldton, Western Australia
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| Area claimed: | 75 km² |
| Membership: | approx 20 permanent residents and 13,000 passport holders |
| Date of Foundation: | 21 April, 1970 |
| Leadership: | Prince Leonard I (Leonard George Casley) |
| Purported organisational structure: | constitutional monarchy |
| Language: | English French |
| Currency: | Hutt River Province Dollar |
The Hutt River Principality () is Australia's oldest micronation. It is located on a large farming property 517 km north of Perth. The province was founded on 21 April 1970 by farmer Leonard George Casley (born 1925), when he and his associates proclaimed their secession from the state of Western Australia. Casley now styles himself as Prince Leonard. The Province claims that its independence has been acknowledged in, among other documents, an Austeo Secret letter from the Department of Territories in 1989. Text from internal documents of the Australian Department of Territories, posted to the Internet by the Hutt River principality, certainly seem to indicate that the government regarded the secession to be legal, and even commented that the entity was not able to be taxed. However, it is not officially recognised by Australia.
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[edit] History
In 1969, in response to a long-running dispute with the government of Western Australia over what they saw as draconian wheat quotas, Casley and his associates resorted to a British law (the Treason Act 1495) which they felt allowed them to secede and declare their independence from the Commonwealth of Australia. Casley states that he nonetheless remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. Casley was elected administrator of the new "sovereign state" by his family and later styled himself His Royal Highness Prince Leonard of Hutt.
In the early 1980s Hutt River Province declared itself to be a kingdom, but soon afterwards reverted to its original status of a principality. At about this time a charismatic individual by the name of Kevin Gale became associated with the Principality, and swiftly rose through the ranks of the "nobility" to the position of "Prince Regent". Gale, who lived in Queensland, on the other side of the Australian continent from Prince Leonard, progressively effectively took over the Principality's commercial operations, and proceeded to release a veritable flood of stamp and coin issues. Gale's operation also actively sold Hutt River "noble titles" and "knighthoods" throughout Europe and North America.
By the early 1990s Gale's activities had become independent of those of his "sovereign" in all but name, and the "Prince Regent" regularly hosted large public functions and was associated with high-profile charitable fundraising activities on the Gold Coast. At the time of his sudden death in 1995 he and his associates were allegedly seeking to formally overthrow Prince Leonard as "sovereign", install Gale in his place, and establish the Hutt River Province Principality as an independent state on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
When the extent of Gale's activities finally came to the attention of Prince Leonard, the "Prince Regent" was declared a traitor to the Principality, and posthumously stripped of all his "titles" and "honours". The entire 15-year episode remains highly contentious, and Prince Leonard's administration refuses to even acknowledge it. The Principality's activities since 1995 have been considerably more low-key, although its 30th anniversary, on April 21, 2000, was attended by supporters and media from around the world.
The Australian Government's current position on the Principality is that it is nothing more than a private enterprise operating under a business name. Tourist maps of the area, produced by the state government, note the main compound as a tourist attraction and mention the Principality's claims to independence.
The story of the Hutt River Province Principality's purported secession is well known in Australia, although chiefly among older Australians.
In September 2006 Prince Leonard decided to officially change the name to "Principality of Hutt River" and dropping the word "Province".[1]
[edit] Statistics
Hutt River Province is situated 517 km north of Perth, and is about 75 km² (approximately 18,500 acres) in size. Exports include wildflowers, agricultural produce, stamps and coins, while tourism is also important to its economy.
Although actual residents are very few, the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 13,000.
It has no standing army, but a number of its citizens have been awarded military commissions, honorary guardsmen attend the Prince on formal occasions, and despite being completely landlocked, it apparently possesses a navy - at least naval commissions have been conferred on supporters of the Province.
It is governed by its founder Prince Leonard and his family, including his wife Princess Shirley and son and heir Crown Prince Ian.
Since 2 September 2004, Hutt River Province Principality has accepted company registrations. At least one company experienced in the registration of entities in traditional offshore jurisdictions (British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands etc.) has been authorised to act as a registered agent for HRPP incorporations.[citation needed]
Despite HRPP not being officially recognised as a sovereign nation, passports issued by the Principality have on various occasions allegedly been used to cross international borders.[citation needed]
[edit] Government
When the Hutt River Province "seceded," a Bill of Rights was drafted. This Bill of Rights was, as the name suggests, a brief document outlining the rights of "Hutt River" citizens. It also provided for an Administration Board to govern over the Province until a permanent form of government could be established. When Casley declared himself Prince, the Administration Board clause effectively lost effect, and the Hutt River Province Principality became a benevolent absolute monarchy with a Legislation Committee to draft new legislation. In 1997, the Legislation Committee finished a proposal for a constitution and presented it to the Prince and his Cabinet. Although the Prince and Cabinet are still yet to officially adopt and promulgate the proposal, it is not without effect, as there is a decree stating that any constitution will be in effect while still under consideration except for clauses that conflict with the Bill of Rights. To this end, the proposal remains in effect as a sort of provisional constitution, and the Prince and Cabinet do not appear to intend to adopt the constitution very soon.
[edit] Australian Government Response
The Australian Government response is typically that HRP is a private farm and that the Prince is nothing but a businessman. On occasion, HRP is mentioned in parliament. Sometimes there may be a negative connotation with allegations of opportunism.
Australian postal services officially will not send letters to HRP, however, the reality is that letters addressed to the province do arrive, and letters sent with HRP stamps also leave the country. At times HRP did not pay taxes, and certainly Department of Territories internal government documents posted on the HRP website indicate that the province is not bound to pay taxation.
The Australian government generally appears to avoid any legal challenge to the HRP. While HRP builds its own buildings (without any Australian government approval), offers company registrations, car licences, sells coinage, philately and even runs its own University, many of these activities would seemingly draw the ire of the Australian government on any Australian citizen. However the Australian government has so far not interfered with HRP sovereignty in these matters, and appears to avoid any legal stoush with the HRP.
[edit] 'Royal Family'
Prince Leonard is the name and title that has been used by Leonard George Casley (born 1930) and his supporters since his creation of the Hutt River Province Principality, the oldest and most widely known micronation in Australia. Casley purports to be the Sovereign of that entity, which he claims is an independent state - a position that is not supported by the government of Australia.
Casley pursued a number of occupations before purchasing a large wheat farm near Geraldton, Western Australia in the 1960s. In 1970, after a longrunning dispute over quotas with the Australian Wheat Board, he declared the "secession" of his 75 square kilometre property from the Commonwealth of Australia, based on his unique interpretation of British and Australian constitutional law.
Despite his advancing years Casley is known as a keen-minded "bush lawyer". He is also an adherent of hermeticism, a subject on which he has privately published a number of research papers. Casley is married to "Her Serene Highness Princess Shirley" (née Shirley Butler), by whom he has seven adult children, among them "His Royal Highness Crown Prince Ian" (Ian George Casley, born 1947), who has been designated as his eventual successor as "Sovereign Prince".
"Prince Leonard" is well-known in Australia, where he is viewed affectionately as a harmless eccentric whose tenacity in taking on "big government" is admired by many. He is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Australia, in Canberra.
[edit] References
- "Mini-states Down Under are sure they can secede", by Nick Squires, The Daily Telegraph (UK), 24 February 2005.
- "If at first you don't secede…", by Mark Dapin, The Sydney Morning Herald — Good Weekend, 12 February 2005, pp 47-50
- "Unusual World Coins", by Colin R Bruce, Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-87349-793-7, p240
