21st May 2023
Bass Coast Shire Council has asked us to choose one of four First Nations names for the new Cultural Centre in Cowes.
Since this decision was made by Council on May 17th, Island Voice has been overwhelmed with people contacting us expressing their disappointment, and in some cases anger, regarding the process that Council followed so far regarding the naming process. We believe that the community should have been asked if we wanted an indigenous name to be considered for the centre before Council approached the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) to identify a name for the building. This would have been meaningful engagement and have provided transparency to the process. We feel that not only has this disrespected the community at large but that our Councillors have failed in their representation of the community and are representing their own viewpoints instead.
It would be very unfortunate if instead of promoting reconciliation, Council by its actions triggers the reverse effect.
A question we have been asked about BCSC’s own survey is “Do you HAVE to vote for one of the four First Nations names, or can you vote for another name?” Council’s press release
advises that “It is a condition of the Traditional Owners that any language options provided are not offered as a choice against other language options”. But when completing the BCSC survey, you do NOT have to select one of these four names, you can proceed to the next screen titled “Other comments, suggestions or objections:” where you can input your preferred name if it differs from the four First Nations names selected by Council. We encourage you to complete the BCSC survey to express your wishes.
Island Voice would like to understand what name the Phillip Island community prefer and provide independent feedback to Council on your preferences. So we’re asking you to complete our own survey of possible names for this pivotal piece of community infrastructure. We ask that you consider whether the name can affect how easy it is for people to locate such a facility (because we have many international and domestic visitors each year) and whether it is important that the name clearly indicates the role of the building in the community.
15th June 2023
Thank you to everyone who completed our survey. It has shown very clear preferences. You may download a copy of the results here.
