| Principality of Hutt River | ||
| Micronation | ||
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Motto: Dum Spiro Spero (English: While I Breathe, I Hope) Anthem: It's a Hard Land by Keith Kerwin |
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| Status | Current | |
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| Location | 28°4′28″S 114°28′14.5″E / 28.07444°S 114.470694°E | |
| Area claimed | 75 Km2 | |
| Membership | ~20 residents, 13,000-18,000 overseas citizens |
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| Date of foundation | April 21, 1970 | |
| Leadership | Prince Leonard I (Leonard George Casley) | |
| Organisational structure | Principality | |
| Language | English (official and common) French, Esperanto (per constitution) |
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| Purported currency | Hutt River Dollar | |
| Capital | Nain | |
| Ethnic groups | Caucasian, Australian Aborigines(Nunda) | |
| Demonym | Hutt River citizens | |
| Time Zone | UTC+8 | |
The Principality of Hutt River, previously known as Hutt River Province, is Australia's oldest micronation. The principality has claimed to be an independent sovereign state since its foundation but it is not recognized by the Commonwealth of Australia or any other international entity. [1]
The principality is located on a large farming property 517 km north of Perth, near the town of Northampton.
The principality was founded on April 21, 1970 by Leonard George Casley (born August 28, 1925),[2] when he and his associates proclaimed their secession from the state of Western Australia. Casley now styles himself "His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I".
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The province was created in 1969 in response to a dispute with the government of Western Australia over what the Casley family saw as 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 1647 bushels or approximately 40 hectares (99 acres).[3] Initially the five families who owned farms in 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" which, as he acts as the Queen's representative, made Her Majesty technically liable, in Tort, for applying an unlawful imposition as the quota had not yet been passed into law. Casley then lodged a claim under the Law of Tort for $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 rural lands under compulsory acquisition. After approaches to the government to reconsider the acquisition bill failed, 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.[4] Casley states that he nonetheless remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. Casley 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.[3] In correspondence with the Governor-General's office, Casley was inadvertently addressed as the "Administrator of the Hutt River Province" which, under the application of Royal Prerogative, makes this recognition binding on all courts.[3] After the government threatened him with prosecution Casley styled himself His Royal Highness Prince Leonard 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 area 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 legal status on April 21, 1972.[5]
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 December 2, 1977, the province officially declared war on Australia. Prince Leonard notified authorities of the cessation of hostilities several days later.[5] 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.[6]
In the early 1980s 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 dropping the word "Province".[7]
The Principality of Hutt River is situated 517 km north of Perth along the Hutt River. It 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.[8]
Although actual residents are very few, the principality claims a world-wide citizenry of 13,000.[6]
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 principality.
It is governed by its founder Prince Leonard and his family, including his wife Princess Shirley and their son and heir, Crown Prince Ian.
Since September 2, 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 HRP incorporations.[6] A variety of licenses are also available. No Australian resident is allowed to take advantage of this legislation.
Hutt River also allows car registrations, including issuing of license plates to overseas vehicles.
The principality has only one settlement, called Nain, which is named after Nain in Galilee, which has a similar landscape and building layout.
When the Principality of Hutt River 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 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 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.[6]
Prince Leonard is the name and title that has been used by Leonard George Casley and his supporters since his creation of the Hutt River Principality. Prince Leonard pursued a number of occupations before purchasing a large wheat farm near Geraldton, Western Australia in the 1960s. A former mathematician and physicist who worked for NASA in the 1950s, he has a star named in his honour.[8]
Despite his advancing years the Prince 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".
Some Australians view "Prince Leonard" affectionately as a harmless eccentric and view his tenacity in taking on "big government" with wry amusement, while others believe him to be looking for a fight where none exists. He is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Australia, in Canberra.[9]
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 that 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 "QUEEN'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 the Prince and Princess.
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 and allegedly selling travel documents, stated that the Australian Government did not recognise the "Hutt River Province", legally or in any other way.[1]
He further stated that: "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."[1]
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'."[1]
However, the Hutt River Province is an independent entity within the Australian legal system as the Commonwealth has no right to dispute the de facto legality it was given in error by the Governor General's office[3] and its own failure to respond to the claim.[5] To overturn this de facto recognition, the Governor of Western Australia would have to submit the secession to arbitration which has not been done due to legal uncertainty as Western Australia was never proclaimed as British Territory.
Although passports issued by the "Hutt River Province" are not legally recognised by the Australian Government,[1] they have been accepted on a case-by-case basis for overseas travel.[8]
On the whole, Australian Government departments do not interfere with the sovereignty of Hutt River Province. While the Australian Taxation Office has issued a warning on its website for the public not to purchase companies from the HRP, it has not acted against the Principality [10] Also, the Principality had plans to start a University in its territory—this is illegal within Australia. However, the Government Authorities were either unable or unwilling to act against HRP [11]. Similarly, the HRP does not pay taxes [12]
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