The administrator of Hutt River Province sat behind a traymobile and talked about the future of Western Australia's breakaway State.
He explained how the province's population of 20 people would no longer be paying income tax. Nor would they vote in State or Commonwealth elections.
"It would be quite unethical" the administrator, - Mr. Len Casley, said this week.
Mr. Casley, 45, and his family own an 18,500 acre property at Hutt River, - 25 miles northwest of Northampton and about 60 miles from Geraldton.
The property which has three houses and nine sheds and outbildings, makes up the Province of Hutt River.
The province came into being last April when Mr. Casley received a notice from the Wheat Board telling him his wheat quota would be 1647 bushels.
"With the machinery I have I could have reaped that amount of grain in one day" Mr. Casley said.
So, Mr. Casley sat down and explained this in letters to the authorities. He wrote to the Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck, the Prime Minister Mr. Gorton, the Governor of WA, Sir Douglas Kendrew, the Premier Sir David Brand, the Minister for Railways and Transport Mr. O'Connor and the Minister for Industrial Development and Northwest Mr. Court.
He said he was forming a self-preservation government at Hutt River. A letter to this effect was also sent to the Queen.
No barriers
Both the Prime Minister's Department and the Governor-General have told Mr. Casley they cannot stop him constitutionally from setting up his province. And Mr. Casley says the WA Government has no constitutional right to intervene. Mr. Casley's own family make up more than half the population of the province. They are his wife, Shirley, a married son, Ian, 22, daughter Kay, 21, who is also married, Wayne 20, Diane, 19, Richard, 17, Graham, 13, and Sherryl, 12.
Ian, Wayne and Richard are on the administration board - which in effect makes them ministers. The rest of the province's population is made up of people who work for Mr. Casley. While the province has a big wheat crop, no grain is grown for sale. The province runs 9000 sheep and 200 head of cattle.
Mr. Casley plans to develop the province as a tourist State and plans to build flats for holiday farmers. He also hopes that in time more people will go to live there. But while procedural negotiations are continuing he is not encouraging people to go there yet.
At present, people from the province have to buy their food and stores at either Northampton or Geraldton. But Mr. Casley already has plans on the drawing boards for a shopping centre at Hutt River.
Police force
"We will have our own police force, bus services and things like that" Mr. Casley said. And people living in the province may also continue to pay some bills to WA authorities like council rates, electricity and water.
Mr. Casley says these are things which help the growth and development of the province and it is only right his people should help pay for them.
He feels in time the province will work in close liaison with the WA Government, particularly in the field of tourism. Already the WA Shipping Control Board has offered to sell the province a ship - the MV Koojarra.
However, Mr. Casley rejected the offer. The biggest battle the province has had to face is about to be fought with the Department of Labor and National Service.
His son Wayne has been summoned by the department for failing to register for national service. The summons was served in Wayne at Hutt River Province. Mr. Casley has written to the department pointing out it has no jurisdiction in the province. He has also lodged a formal protest with the Prime Minister. The matter is due to be heard in the Court of Petty Sessions, Perth this week.
Wheat quota
Mr. Casley said after he had set up the province, he received a 1200 per cent quota increase offer from the Wheat Board.
"I told the boardit had no authority to do this for my province", he said.
In the pas, Mr. Casley and his famil have spent about six months of the year living in their Lockhart St., Como, home. However he plans to move to Hutt River so he can properly administer the province. Mr. Casley owns a block of 60 flats in Como and this is now on for sale.
But he plans to keep his double storey home.
"It will serve as the official residence of the administrator when he visits Western Australia.
