Breaking Up is Hard

04 Jan Breaking Up is Hard

Dear Here to Help,

What if he needs Medicare, roads, a hospital or other services? What if he commits a crime?

Thanks for your question.

When I worked in government, sometimes we received similar letters. They usually came in waves and used the same words, with their own names and addresses inserted.

Over the years, there have been numerous people and groups who say they no longer want to be part of Australia. Every person or group has their own reasons, but it usually boils down to money.

If they commit a crime, the police will investigate them like anyone else, ignoring their claims of independence from Australia. There is no reliable data on whether they still use taxpayer-funded initiatives, such as Medicare.

There are also people who give themselves titles that don’t exist and/or form groups that claim to have some form of authority, none of which is collaborated by a recognised institution.

Just remember “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Always conduct your own independent research before you accept what anyone says as true or give them money.

There are some interesting articles on secession movements in Australia, including these:
• Micro-nations: Meet the tiny states who’ve said ‘see ya later’ to the Commonwealth
• Breaking up is hard to do: secession in Australia

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in Hunter Local, January 2024. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.