North Sydney MP Kylea Tink proposes Aboriginal name change for federal electorate

A newly elected federal independent MP is making the case to change the name of her electorate after the traditional owners of the region – but a local mayor has questioned the merits of the proposal.

A newly-elected ‘teal’ independent MP is calling for her federal electorate of North Sydney to be renamed in recognition of the traditional owners of the region.

Kylea Tink is spearheading the proposal to change the name to Cammeraygal to recognise the indigenous Cammeraygal tribe whose traditional lands span much of the lower north shore region and are recorded to have inhabited the region for about 5800 years.

She said changing the name would also aim to address voter confusion from parts of the electorate such as Hunters Hill and Lane Cove which have little affiliation with the suburb of North Sydney.

“There are a number of reasons why this makes sense to me – primarily, our electorate sits on the lands and waters traditionally under the custodianship of the Cammeraygal people and to our shame I understand there are no direct descendants left,” she said.

“To recognise the absence of people from that mob, it’s our responsibility to recognise the traditional custodians of the land.

Independent MP Kylea Tink was elected in May.

The electorate takes in suburbs such as Lane Cove, Hunters Hill and parts of Chatswood.

“One of the things that also came up during the election was the name North Sydney caused confusion – people were saying I live in Hunters Hill or Cremorne, why is it called North Sydney?

“To me it’s nonsensical to have a federal seat named after one suburb contained within it.”

Ms Tink said she would seek the community’s views before proceeding with the proposal and was open to any alternative names suggested by residents.

“It’s important to engage the broader community to gauge people’s thinking and appetite for change,” she said. “It’s not something I’m looking to do arbitrarily and I wouldn't proceed without consulting the community first.”

Hunters Hill Liberal mayor Zac Miles said there could be complexities around the name-change, partly due Hunters Hill falling within an area traditionally inhabited by the Wallumedegal clan.

He said Hunters Hill also has synonymity with Moocooboola – the traditional name of the meeting place of the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers.

Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles.

“In the normal context I often thought federal seats are named after former Prime Ministers so I think it’s something you’d need to have a broader discussion about because you don’t want to be unrepresentative,” he said.

”I’m supportive in principle, but I’d prefer substance rather than tokenism because these issues are inherently complex.

“We also have a very engaged and intelligent electorate (in Hunters Hill) and I’ve not come across anyone who’s been confused about being in North Sydney.”

The proposal comes after North Sydney Council renamed one of its two council wards from the ‘southern ward’ to Cammeraygal in 2019.

The north shore suburb Cammeray and the Cammeraygal High School in Crows Nest also derive their names from the Cammeraygal people.

It is understood the process for renaming the federal North Sydney electorate would have to be referred to the Australian Electoral Commission.