DOWN UNDER BOOM IN MICRONATIONS
It has the most of these ‘sovereign’ entities, with 35 out of 200 worldwide
LOUNGING on a sofa in his flowing robes, a gold crown resting on his snowy hair and a stuffed white toy tiger at his feet, Paul Delprat looks every bit a monarch.
Delprat, 76, is the self-appointed Prince of the Principality of Wy, a micronation consisting of his home in the northern suburb of Mosman here.
Micronations — entities that have proclaimed independence but are not recognised by governments — have been declared around the world.
One of the latest is Asgardia, started by Russian scientist and businessman Igor Ashurbeyli, who late last month declared himself leader of the utopian “space nation”.
But the pseudo-states are particularly popular in Australia, with the island continent home to the highest number in the world, about 35, out of an estimated total of up to 200.
Delprat’s homemade kingdom, filled with monarchical and historical paraphernalia, is, like some micronations, born out of a dispute with authorities.
Blocked by the local council for more than a decade from building a driveway, Delprat seceded from Mosman in 2004.
Instead of drawing the ire of authorities, he became a local celebrity — even attracting adoring fans from Japan.
The rise of micronations hasn’t just stemmed from the relaxed attitude of governments willing to tolerate the tiny fiefdoms as long as they pay taxes.
Australians’ healthy disdain for authority — a source of national pride — has also fuelled the phenomenon, says constitutional law professor George Williams.
“There is a bit of a larrikin (maverick) streak here, a sense that this can be a bit of fun... and often they are hobbies that have got wildly out of hand,” said Williams of the University of New South Wales.
Establishing a micronation is not without its hazards.
John Rudge, the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Avram in Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania, issued his own notes and coins in 1980.
The government disputed his use of the word “bank” on the notes and took him to court, although the case was eventually dismissed, Rudge says.
The country’s oldest micronation, the Principality of Hutt River, 500km north of Perth, was set up by Leonard Casley in 1970 after a row with the Western Australia state government over wheat quotas.
Prince Leonard, who owns 75 sq km of farmland, an area larger than that of more than 20 bona fide states, territories or dependencies, was last year ordered by a court to pay A$3 million (RM8.8 million) in taxes. Even so, the property reportedly makes a tidy sum for the now-retired prince, who handed over the reins to his youngest son Graeme last year, as a tourist attraction.
Other micronations use their realms to talk about good governance.
George Cruickshank, aka Emperor George II, established the Empire of Atlantium as a teenager with his two cousins after being horrified by “confrontational” attitudes during the Cold War.
The 51-year-old has built a government house, post office and even a pyramid on a 0.76sq km farmland 300km south of here.
He markets the empire on Airbnb as the only country in the world that people can rent for just A$100 a night.
The concept of sovereignty has also been a source of contention for the Aboriginal population.
Two micronations — the Murrawarri Republic straddling Queensland and New South Wales states, and the Yidindji nation in Queensland — have sought treaties with Australia.
“They’ve never agreed to be dispossessed from those lands. In fact, many still reject the idea that the nation was created on their lands,” Williams said.
“They do often look at asserting their sovereignty through micronations and the like, because they want a better and more just settlement for them and into the future.”