Sovereign citizen’s bus home deemed too risky for council officers
Hobsons Bay staff advised traders and Williamstown residents that they have limited legal recourse to resolve such situations but are using all options available to them and asked them to be patient.
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But on Friday they finally swooped in and removed Tucker’s camp with a flatbed truck at 9 a.m. after refusing to answer his questions for a week. Age He asked why he was allowed to ply his trade on the busy street.
Council’s community safety and cohesion co-ordinator Carrol Correa, who oversaw Friday’s suspension, said the action was a joint operation by the council and Victoria Police but referred further questions to Hobsons Bay media officials.
In addition to displaying the red flag flags widely adopted by sovereign citizens, Tucker’s bus also features signs of the conspiracy group Terra Australis Council of States, and Victorian license plates are being replaced with “special” plates. While parked at Nelson Place, there were items strewn across the nearby footpath where his large dog was spending time.
Tucker had eight counts in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday but failed to attend and was issued an arrest warrant and ordered bail.
When contacted by this byline Wednesday, Tucker confirmed that he had been contacted by city officials multiple times, but said he informed them they were scams and that he did not have any authority over him.
“They sent me some letters, and I sent them back to them citing fraud,” said Tucker.
“I am a Citizen of the state of Terra Australis. I have revoked my Australian citizenship, so I am not beholden to their corrupt system.
“So, I am a shareholder of this country, and those public officials work for me. I am not a slave to their system.”
members extremist conspiracy group Terra Australis They claim that Australian governments are illegitimate and that national laws are invalid and that they have established their own form of self-government with assemblies in each state. Believing in the “perverted man” conspiracy and using their own made-up bogus laws with no legal basis, the group claims to run its own jury trials and trials.
Tucker, who politely declined to be interviewed unless questions were sent to him in advance, said he was preparing to represent himself in court against charges related to the “travel.” He told this outlet that he lost his license and registration in 2018 because he was no longer an Australian citizen and was no longer subject to Australian law.
Complaints made to Hobsons Bay Council included allegations that Adam David Tucker’s dog attacked passing dogs and walkers, and that Tucker used nearby trees as toilets.Credit: Justin McManus
“My God-given right to travel freely was taken away from me,” Tucker said.
A Victoria Police spokesman was unable to comment on specific investigations.
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“Victoria Police is closely monitoring a range of groups and individuals to ensure there are no threats to public safety,” the spokesman said.
“Victoria Police also works closely with state and federal partners and our joint counter-terrorism team has conducted a number of investigations covering extremism from a variety of backgrounds, regardless of religious, political or ideological motivation.
“It is important to realize that it is criminals and criminal activities that are targeted, not ideologies or backgrounds.”
do not follow of the age After his visit, Tucker placed a handwritten sign on the bus window apologizing for the inconvenience and stating that his vehicle was awaiting repair.
Complaints appearing on this byline allege that Tucker’s bus negatively impacted business and that residents were too afraid to use the street, that his dog bit other dogs at least twice, that Tucker regularly and publicly used nearby trees as toilets, and that he attempted to break into a telecommunications box near his bus.
Builders working at the Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club were so annoyed by Tucker’s presence that, after the council failed to move him, they used their own trucks to move his bus 100 meters further along Nelson Place to its current location.
City officials wrote a letter to Williamstown businesses saying they could not move Adam David Tucker, who was living in a bus on Nelson Place in Williamstown, without police support.Credit: Justin McManus
Wade Ryan, who runs a boat engineering business in Nelson Place next to where the bus was found, made numerous complaints to the council and police over allegations of inappropriate behavior without seeing any action.
“I don’t know why he doesn’t have to play by the rules that we all have to follow,” Ryan said.
“It’s frustrating. If I parked there, I’d get a ticket, my car would be towed, and then the sheriff would be on me.”
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Kelly Grigsby, executive office of the Municipal Association of Victoria, said councils were facing increasing challenges from some community members who were greatly affected by misinformation, leading to confrontational behavior that raised serious safety concerns.
“Councils that refuse to comply with our social and civic obligations, such as paying interest or complying with planning and local laws, are subject to increased administrative burdens and legal costs,” Grigsby said.
“Anti-democratic groups cause serious harm to our societies.”
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