New South Scotland

New South Scotland

Helen Maguire Lawn, Quadrangle Lawn, Nya Ystad
New South Scotland Helen Maguire Lawn, Quadrangle Lawn, Nya Ystad
Crown Dependency of Austenasia
	New South Scotland, 2024
	Flag Seal
Established	19 November 2012
Transfer to Austenasia	25 January 2013
Zealandian administration	3 June 2014
Austenasian sovereignty restored	10 September 2016
Government
• Type	Indirect imperial rule
• Emperor	HIM Jonathan I
• Governing Commissioner	The Rt Hon. Sir Hugh McFarlane, KCA
• Legislature	Legislative Assembly (pending proclamation)
Area
• Total	3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi)
Elevation	35 m (115 ft)
Population (2020)Citizens of New South Scotland do not live in the Crown Dependency itself, which is uninhabited.
• Total	15
• Density	0.22/km2 (0.6/sq mi)
Demonym	New South Scottish
Time zone	UTC+10 (Austenasian Eastern Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	+11 (Eastern Austenasian Daylight Time)
Website	http://newsouthscotland.weebly.com/

New South Scotland (known in Australia as Helen Maguire Lawn or Quadrangle Lawn and known in the former Zealandia as Nya Ystad) is an Austenasian Crown Dependency situated on the eastern seaboard of the Australian continent. Between June 2014 and September 2016, the polity was administered by the Commonwealth of Zealandia, although de jure Austenasian sovereignty over New South Scotland continued to be acknowledged. De facto Austenasian rule was restored to the Crown Dependency that same month with the appointment of the territory's first Austenasian Governing Commissioner. A territorial constitution was promulgated in April 2020, handing the Crown Dependency its own system of local governance. New South Scotland has remanied under the exclusive political authority of its Governing Commissioner since the restoration of Austenasian administration in 2016.

History

Early History

Established on 19 November 2012 as a colony of New Wessex, having formerly been part of an Australian university campus, the colony was ceded to the Empire of Austenasia on 20 January 2013 by Declan I upon the ascension of Jonathan I to the Austenasian Throne. New South Scotland was formally made a Crown Dependency of Austenasia on 25 January, by the First Imperial Decree of HIM Emperor Jonathan I. The then Haakon Lindstrom, also monarch of the nearby nation of Zealandia, was appointed New South Scotland's Governing Commissioner.

A notable incident took place on 30 October 2013, when two constables of the New South Wales Police were escorted out of New South Scotland by a constable of the New South Scotland Constabulary after they were found asking individuals for identification in a rude manner. The New South Scottish constable was helped by a group of socialists visiting from Australia, who sung the Internationale as the two NSW constables were escorted out.

Zealandian Period

On 22 May 2014, Lindström - who reigned by the regnal name of Astrid as Queen of Zealandia - ordered the Zealandian military to prepare an invasion of New South Scotland. A false version of events was reported to the Austenasian government, which were that Queen Astrid had been threatened with a coup by rogue elements of the Zealandian military and that she would be deposed unless she sanctioned an invasion of New South Scotland. The queen notified the Austenasian government of her apparent inability to suppress the rebellion, which was eventually allegedly pacified by an agreement by which use of half of New South Scotland would be granted to the Zealandian military in exchange for the force's annexation of new territory for the Crown Dependency. However, Lindstrom failed to pass on information to her government in regards to the Empire's wish for a deal, and instead willingly passed on misinformation, falsely accusing Austenasia of hostile designs on Zealandia and provoking her government into going ahead with an invasion of New South Scotland. Before Austenasia had a chance to respond militarily, a massive diplomatic backlash from the intermicronational community forced Zealandia to accept a compromise whereby New South Scotland would be administered independently by the Zealandian queen, but remain under formal Austenasian sovereignty.

Relations between Austenasia and Zealandia remained extremely frosty for over a year over the subject of New South Scotland and Lindstom's actions in relation to it, but began to thaw in 2015 after a treaty was signed formalising the arrangement. Relations between the two nations warmed considerably in mid-2016 as a result of uniting against diplomatic attacks from Sandus, and in July 2016 the Austenasian government was contacted by Lindstrom who informed them that she was unable to continue administering the crown dependency due to her and many members of the Zealandian government and military leaving the university which borders New South Scotland. After negotiations, a treaty was signed returning New South Scotland to full and exclusively Austenasian jurisdiction on 10 September 2016. Later that day, Emperor Jonathan I appointed The Rt Hon. Sir Hugh McFarlane, KCA as New South Scotland's second Governing Commissioner.

Return to Austenasian Administration

The following four years of Austenasian administration saw few notable events occur within the Crown Dependency, with the exception of a visit by a delegation of several Australian tourists in 2015 (including future Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA). In April 2020, when a constitution was passed granting the territory its own system of democratic self-government. A territorial website was established as part of an effort to attract more citizens. Although elections were held to fill the Legislative Assembyl soon after, New South Scotland fell into a state of inactivity by May 2020.

In April 2024, New South Scotland was revived from its inactivity by Governing Commissioner McFarlane KCA. Under the new political arrangements, the unfulfilled Legislative Assembly elections were declared null and void, with the Governing Commissioner exercising sole authority in the Assembly's stead. The Commission of Demography also audited the citizenship records to confirm levels of activity post-2020, leading to a consolidation of the Crown Dependency's citizenry.

Government

New South Scotland is governed by Sir Hugh McFarlane, a friend of Emperor Jonathan I who lives near to the crown dependency. The position had previously been held by Charlotte Lindstrom, who held the position of Governor when New South Scotland was a colony under Wessaxon rule, and ruled as Governing Commissioner in the name of the Emperor before 10 September 2016.

Since returning to Austenasian jurisdiction in September 2016, New South Scotland has been governed as a normal Austenasian Crown Dependency, being neither taxed nor having representation in Parliament, with the Emperor holding absolute power (exercised by the Governing Commissioner) and Austenasian legislation not applying to New South Scotland unless explicitly mentioned as doing so. Under the 2020 constitution, the Governing Commissioner exercises supreme jurisdiction over the territory on the Emperor's behalf. However, upon the proclamation of a Legislative Assembly much of the Governing Commissioner's current power will pass to the democratically-elected body.

Governing Commissioners

Number	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Notes
1		HM Queen Astrid (formerly Haakon Lindstrom)	25 Jan 2013	10 Sep 2016	Appointed Governing Commissioner of the newly-founded Crown Dependency by Imperial Decree. Monarch of the nearby Zealandia; had New South Scotland administered by Zealandia from June 2014 until September 2016 by agreement with Austenasia as a result of the 2014 New South Scotland crisis. Removed from office upon New South Scotland returning to ordinary Austenasian administration.
2		The Rt Hon. Sir Hugh McFarlane, KCA	10 Sep 2016	Incumbent	Appointed Governing Commissioner by Emperor Jonathan I upon the return of New South Scotland to Austenasian administration. Had previously visited NSS as a tourist in March 2015.

Law enforcement and military

In August 2013, Lindstrom established the New South Scotland Constabulary to provide law enforcement in her absence, although this force had become defunct by May 2014. This Constabulary was one of the few facets of Zealandian administration to survive the restoration of Austenasian adminstration, being renewed as a distinct entity by Gubernatorial Decree in 2020. Additional reforms were made to the force in 2024, placing the Constabulary under the purview of the Governing Commissioner in addition to clarifying its powers and responsibilities, including defence of the Crown Dependency from outside attack.

Administrative divisions

Although New South Scotland is a unitary entity, it is divided into five Honorary Districts and three Roads, largely for ceremonial purposes. The Honorary Districts of Jonathania, Joshua Green, Bethania, Bamuru and New Wrythe comprise the grassy areas between the Roads. The Roads, meanwhile, are major thoroughfares for Australian travellers and include Constitution Road, Starhigh Road and New Wessex Road. New South Scottish citizens may be assigned to Honorary Districts by the Commission of Demography, while laws may be made for the Honorary Districts themselves. However, any such laws only apply within the physical bounds of the Honorary Districts themselves, meaning citizens assigned to the districts are not subject to any variation in the law.

Geography

New South Scotland has an area of approximately 3.3 square kilometers. The territory is located within the campus of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and is bordered by the City of Sydney, Australia. The geographical position of New South Scotland means that it regularly frequented by students and teachers attending the university, having a huge effect on the geography, culture and economy of the area. The flora of New South Scotland is not very diverse, only featuring several trees and an extensive grass area. This grass area is used by students as a place to relax, which brings some environmental issues such as food waste which attracts fauna such as the Australian White Ibis. In the interest of preserving the area, groundskeepers at the university maintain the environment on a frequent basis.

Economy

Bordering New South Scotland are several areas of varying economic activity, however very little occurs within the borders themselves. Nearby, multiple vending machines can be found, which dispense food and drinks to students. These machines are operated and owned by the university itself, but it is unclear if they generate any profit at all. Numerous shops are located a short distance away from New South Scotland, such as a pharmacy and the university bookshop. A Commonwealth Bank Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) also exists near to these shops which is used to fund transactions across the university. A section of the UNSW Business School is also housed within the Quadrangle Building that is directly next to New South Scotland itself. It is one of the major faculties at UNSW, and teaches a variety of courses regarding economics and commerce and has had a hand in creating some economic activity around the university campus.

Culture

New South Scotland is primarily used by university students as a recreational area, which has a huge effect on the culture of the area. The grass area is usually a location where food is eaten and where activities such as games and festivals take place. These types of activities define the culture of New South Scotland and how it behaves, as they have a huge effect on the different environments that exist. On any given day, the Crown Dependency is visited by local students from an array of ethnic backgrounds, giving New South Scotland a strong sense of multiculturalism.

Echoes of New South Scotland's Zealandian past exist in the Crown Dependency's legislation, which recognises Zealandian cultural influences, including formal recognition of the Zealandian Swedish and Zealandian name for New South Scotland, Nya Ystad. New South Scotland's small citizenry also comprises a number of citizens with dual nationality and culturally diverse backgrounds.

Health

Close by to New South Scotland is the university health clinic and dentistry, provided by UNSW itself. Not only does this facility treat students suffering from an array of health complications, but it also acts as an Infectious Control Zone, which is used in the case of an epidemic as a location to treat patients. On display at this clinic are pieces of information regarding how to deal with current diseases and what major symptoms are. Whilst these services are technically outside the borders of New South Scotland, should any major disease outbreak occur, New South Scotland itself may well be used as a grounds for dealing with the issue. A pharmacy is also nearby which sells many different medical and cosmetic products.

Former Political Parties

Under the Crown Dependency's constitution, territorial political parties are required to adopt a democratic system of internal organisation. Parties are also constitutionally required to maintain a public list of their membership. The following political parties existed during the 2020 period of activity and faced off in the unfulfilled 2020 Legislative Elections, which were retrospectively declared null and void in April 2024.

Name		Ideology	Spectrum	Seats gained in unfulfilled 2020 elections	Membership (historical)
Party for National Reconstruction and Development for New South Scotland	PNRDNSS	Big tent	Right-wing	1 / 5	1
Citizen's Party	CP	Big tent technocratic pragmatism	N/A	1 / 5	2
Centrist Liberal Alliance of New South Scotland	CLANSS	Liberalism	Centre	1 / 5	3
Behemoth Party	BP	Big tent direct democracy	Right-wing	0 / 5	2
Green Monarchist Party	GMP	Green monarchism	Right-wing	2 / 5	2