| Principality of Hutt River | |||
| Micronation | |||
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| Motto: Dum Spiro Spero
(While I Breathe, I Hope) |
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| Status | Current | ||
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| Area claimed | 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi)
(18,533 Acres) |
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| Population | 30 full time residents, 13,000-18,000 overseas citizens |
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| Date of foundation | 21 April 1970 | ||
| Leadership | Prince Leonard I of Hutt
(born 28 August 1925) |
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| Organisational structure | Principality | ||
| Language | English (official language) French, Esperanto (per constitution) |
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| Purported currency | Hutt River Dollar, tied 1:1 with Australian Dollar | ||
| Capital | Nain | ||
| Ethnic groups | Caucasian, Australian Aborigines (Nunda Tribe) | ||
| Demonym | Hutt River citizens | ||
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 | ||
The Principality of Hutt River, previously known as the Hutt River Province, is the oldest micronation in Australia. The principality claims to be an independent sovereign state having achieved legal status on 21 April 1972, although it remains unrecognised except by other micronations.
The principality is located 517 kilometres (321 mi) north of Perth, near the town of Northampton. If considered independent, it is an enclave of Australia. The principality was founded on 21 April 1970 by Leonard George Casley when he and his associates proclaimed their secession from the state of Western Australia.
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The Principality of Hutt River was created in 1970, as a province by the name of Hutt River Province, in response to a dispute with the government of Western Australia over what the Casley family considered draconian wheat production quotas. The Casley farm had around 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of wheat ready to harvest when the quotas were issued, which allowed Casley to sell only 1,647 bushels or approximately 40 hectares (99 acres).[1] Initially, the five families who owned farms at Hutt River banded together to fight the quota, and Casley lodged a protest with the Governor of Western Australia, Sir Douglas Kendrew. The Governor replied "no rectification of our Quota would be allowed". Casley reasoned that as the Governor acts as the Queen's representative, this made Her Majesty liable, in tort, for applying an unlawful imposition as the quota had not yet been passed into law. Casley lodged a claim under the Law of Tort for A$52 million in the belief the claim would force a revision of the quota. Two weeks later, the government introduced a bill into Parliament to "resume" their lands under compulsory acquisition. After approaches to the government to reconsider the acquisition bill failed, Casley and his associates resorted to the British Treason Act 1495, which they felt allowed them to secede and declare their independence from the Commonwealth of Australia. Casley has claimed he nonetheless remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. He was elected administrator of the new "sovereign state" by his family.
The government of Western Australia determined it could do nothing without the intervention of the Commonwealth. The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck, later stated that it was unconstitutional for the Commonwealth to intervene in the secession.[1] In correspondence with the governor-general's office, Casley was inadvertently addressed as the "Administrator of the Hutt River Province" which was claimed (via Royal Prerogative) to be a legally binding recognition.[1] After the government threatened him with prosecution, Casley styled himself His Majesty Prince Leonard I of Hutt to take advantage of a Commonwealth law that a monarch could not only not be charged, but that anyone who interfered with his duties could be charged with treason. Although the law in this matter has since changed, the Australian government has not taken any action against Hutt River since the declaration. Under Australian law, the government had two years to respond to Casley's declaration; the failure to respond gave the province de facto autonomy on 21 April 1972.[2]
In 1976, Australia Post refused to handle Hutt River mail, forcing mail to be redirected via Canada. Following repeated demands by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for the payment of taxes, on 2 December 1977 the province officially declared war on Australia. Prince Leonard notified authorities of the cessation of hostilities several days later.[2] The mail service was restored and tax requests ceased. Hutt River citizens are now classed by the ATO as non-residents of Australia for income tax purposes; thus income earned within the province is exempt from Australian taxation. The province levies its own income tax of 0.5% on financial transactions by foreign companies registered in the province and personal accounts. While the principality does not pay taxes, the Australian government's current official position is that it is nothing more than a private enterprise operating under a business name.[3]
In the early 1980s, the Hutt River Province declared itself to be a kingdom, but soon after reverted to its original status of a principality. The principality proceeded to release a number of its own stamps and coins. In September 2006, Prince Leonard decided to change the name to "Principality of Hutt River" and dropped the word "Province".[4]
The Principality of Hutt River is situated 517 kilometres (321 mi) north of Perth, along the Hutt River. It is about 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi; 19,000 acres) in size. Exports include wildflowers, stamps and coins and agricultural produce which is also exported overseas. Tourism is also important to the economy, with 40,000 tourists visiting the principality every year.[5][6]
While the principality has only 23 actual residents, the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 14,000.[7] The Principality 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, naval commissions have been conferred on supporters of the principality.
Since 2 September 2004, Hutt River Province/Principality has had the authority to accept company registrations. At least one company experienced in the registration of entities in traditional offshore jurisdictions (British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands etc.) as tax havens has been authorised to act as a registered agent for PHR incorporations.[3] A variety of licenses are also available. Hutt River also allows car registrations, including issuing license plates to overseas vehicles. The principality's capital, Nain, is named after Nain in Galilee.
When the Principality of Hutt River seceded, a bill of rights, a brief document outlining the rights of "Hutt River" citizens, was drafted. It also provided for an administration board to govern the principality until a permanent form of government could be established. When Casley declared himself "Prince", the administration board clause lost effect and the Hutt River Principality became a benevolent absolute monarchy, with a legislation committee to draft new legislation.
In 1997, the legislation committee presented a proposal for a constitution to the prince and his cabinet. Although the prince and cabinet are yet to officially adopt and promulgate the proposal, there is a decree stating that any constitution will be in effect while under consideration, except for any clauses that conflict with the bill of rights, so the proposal has essentially become a provisional constitution.[3]
| His Royal Highness Prince of Hutt | |
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| Monarchy | |
| Incumbent: HRH Prince Leonard I of Hutt |
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| Style: | His Majesty |
| Heir apparent: | HRH Crown Prince Ian |
| First monarch: | Prince Leonard I of Hutt |
| Formation: | April 21, 1970 |
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| Website: | www.hutt-river-province.com |
"His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I of Hutt" is the style which has been used by Leonard George Casley since his creation of the Hutt River Principality. Casley is married to Shirley (née Shirley Butler) who is styled as "Her Royal Highness Princess Shirley of Hutt, Dame of the Rose of Sharon". They have seven adult offspring, among them Ian Casley ("Crown Prince Ian", born 1947) who is styled as the Prime Minister of the principality and has been designated as his father's eventual successor as "heir presumptive". Ian Casley is involved heavily in the wildflower production, with the product not only being exported to Perth, Western Australia but to many cities internationally.
Shirley Casley plays host to dignitaries and diplomatic representatives visiting the principality each year as well as receiving many of the television crews and magazine journalists. She is also royal patron and chairman of the board of directors of the Red Cross of Hutt.
Leonard Casley pursued a number of occupations before purchasing a large wheat farm near the towns of Northampton and Geraldton, Western Australia in the 1960s. A former mathematician and physicist who worked for NASA in the 1950s, he had a star named in his honour.[5] He is an adherent of hermeticism, a subject on which he has privately published a number of research papers and books.[6]
Leonard Casley is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.[8]
A set of low denomination banknotes was introduced in 1974. The first Hutt River coins were not issued until 1976. The currency of the Hutt River Province Principality is the Hutt River Dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. The Hutt River Dollar is tied at a one-to-one ratio with the Australian dollar.
There were four denominations: 5c, 10c, 20c and 50c. These were issued between 1976 and 1978, but the 1978 issue was a proof only issue. There was also a silver $30 coin and a gold $100 coin, struck only in proof.
| First Series | |||||||
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| Value | Technical parameters | Description | Date of first minting | ||||
| Diameter | Composition | Edge | Obverse | Reverse | |||
| 5c | 16.5 mm | Aluminium | Plain | Prince Leonard | Coat of arms | 1976 | |
| 10c | 19.1 mm | Copper | |||||
| 20c | 22.4 mm | Brass | |||||
| 50c | 24.9 mm | Cupronickel | |||||
| $30 | 38.1 mm | 999‰ silver | Reeded | ||||
| $100 | 25 mm | 24 carat gold | Plain | ||||
| For table standards, see the coin specification table. | |||||||
In 1977, $1 coins were struck to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. These coins are known as "holey dollars", a nickname which is applied to the extremely rare New South Wales 5/- coin and the Prince Edward Island 5/- coin, which were cut and counterstamped from Spanish-American Pieces of Eight (8 Reales). Coins of the same design were struck again in 1978, without the inscription "Queens's Jubilee".
Most of the coins of later series have specific commemorative topics and are usually made of precious metal. The issuance of coins went on until 2000, and resumed with new issues beginning in 2007 to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Leonard and Shirley Casley.
The Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Jeremy Bruer, upon hearing that an office purporting to represent the "Hutt River Province" was operating in Dubai, allegedly selling travel documents, stated that the Australian Government did not recognise the "Hutt River Province", legally or in any other way.[9] Bruer further stated: "The area of land which is described as the 'Hutt River Province' is a privately owned wheat-growing property on the Hutt River, north of Geraldton in the State of Western Australia. It has no special status. It has no separate sovereignty and remains subject to the Australian Constitution and the laws of Australia."[9] Regarding the use of titles, the ambassador said that: "The Australian Government does not recognise the 'royal titles' nor titles of office, such as 'Head of State', 'State minister' and 'Minister for Foreign Affairs' assumed by the family owning the property nor the use of terms such as 'consulates' and 'principality' in relation to the 'Hutt River Province'".[9]
However, the Hutt River Province argues that it is an independent entity within the Australian legal system and the Commonwealth has no right to dispute the claimed de facto legality it was given in error by the Governor General's office,[1] and its own failure to respond to the claim.[2] To overturn this de facto recognition, the West Australian Governor General's office would have to submit the secession to arbitration, something which the Hutt River Province claims is not done due to legal uncertainty related to the fact that Western Australia in its entirety was never officially proclaimed as British Territory. Passports issued by the "Hutt River Province" are not legally recognised by the Australian Government,[9] but have been accepted on a case-by-case basis for overseas travel.[5]
In 2010, Brendon Grylls, the Western Australian Minister for Regional Development and Lands, was asked if his state had a position on the province. He replied "Only that Prince Leonard is an enigma ... There is nothing currently on my agenda as Minister ...that relates to that."[6]
On the whole, Australian Government departments do not interfere with Hutt River Province. While the Australian Taxation Office has issued a warning on its website for the public not to purchase companies from the PHR, it has not acted against the principality.
The principality registers universities in its territory, which is illegal within Australia. However, the government authorities have not acted against PHR[10] and several online universities operate and are registered in the principality. While some of these online universities have been exposed as "accreditation mills",[11] St. Linus University, a government accredited online university based in the Philipines is also registered in the PHR.[12] Similarly, the PHR does not pay taxes to the ATO.[13]
In 2008, the Council of the European Union issued a memorandum identifying Hutt River diplomatic passports among known "fantasy passports ... issued by private organisations and individuals" to which a visa should not be affixed.[14]
PHR
Australian Government
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