A Melbourne Council Voted To Change Its Name After Learning Of Its Racist History

A Melbourne city council will undergo a rebrand after a successful vote on Monday to change its name because of its racist history.

Moreland local government area is named after a Scottish-run plantation from the 18th century that used hundreds of Jamaicans for slave labour. Its owner Farquhar McCrae later moved to Melbourne in 1839, naming his new Victorian property after his former estate in a transaction that dispossessed, and was sold without permission, Indigenous communities.

Six councillors voted in favour for the name change, while three independent councillors were in opposition on cost grounds.

Proud to say @morelandcouncil just voted to support renaming our city 🥳 Traditional Owners & community members requested we change our name because ‘Moreland’ ties us to a history of racism, slavery & dispossession. 6 votes for, 3 opposed (2 Councillors were apologies).

— Adam Pulford (@adampulford) December 13, 2021

“We have two examples of racism on display here, global slavery and local dispossession,” said Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung man Uncle Andrew Gardiner in the Zoom call. “They come together in one word, and that is Moreland.”

“The inhumane and racist nature of slavery and abduction is offensive to all of us, wherever and whenever it occurs in the world, and it still goes on today.”

Last month, Indigenous representatives first alerted the council to the name’s history, and a move to change it was backed by the Andrews Government as well. “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn that that 27 years ago, Moreland was named after a slave estate,” the council’s chief executive Mark Riley said last month upon the discovery.

“The history behind the naming of this area is painful, uncomfortable, and very wrong. It needs to be addressed.” One month on, it finally was. The rename is projected to cost $500,000 over the next two years and will include updating bins, letterheads, signs, uniforms, and online designs, according to The Age.

Next year, the council will seek input from constituents on what the new name should be, and will include options proposed by Traditional Owners.

“We know that providing our community with information and education that acknowledges the impacts and consequences of dispossession and racism is going to be a really big part of this. We’re committed to encouraging respectful understanding through truth telling and reconciliation,” said Riley in a statement on Tuesday.

“As a local community we have the opportunity to work together to take positive local action and lead change. And we’re looking forward to talking about a new name for the future.”