AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT RECOGNISE THE HUTT RIVER PROVINCE
AB07/10 23 October 2007
The Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Jeremy Bruer, today said the Embassy had learned that an office purporting to represent the “Hut River Province” was operating in Dubai and allegedly selling travel documents. The Ambassador said the Australian Government did not recognise the "Hutt River Province", legally or in any other way.
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.
Following from its policy of not recognising the "Hutt River Province", 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".
Documents purporting to be "passports" issued by the "Hutt River Province" are not recognised as valid passports by the Australian Government.