Moreland City Council: name change ‘worst I’ve seen’ councillor Oscar Yildiz says

An inner city council had one last chance to ask ratepayers about a controversial plan to change its “racist” name. Here’s what happened.

Moreland Council has three new names to choose from following a special meeting which included a scroll handover. (L-R) Cr James Conlan, Cr Adam Pulford, Cr Angelica Panapoulos, Mayor Mark Rily, Uncle Andrew Gardiner, Cr Lambros Tapinos, Cr Carli Hannan and Cr Monica Harte.

Moreland Council has voted against giving the community a say on the controversial decision to spend half a million dollars on changing the municipality’s name.

In a quick-fire meeting on Saturday, the Greens-led council voted down a motion put forward by independent Helen Pavlidis to include “no name change” as an option for ratepayers to choose, along with three Aboriginal titles.

The motion was shot-down three votes to seven.

Instead, councillors voted to formally receive three names from three Wurrundjeri Woi-wurrung elders, with a final decision to be made in July.

The names suggested at the meeting were ‘Wa-dam-buk’ meaning ‘renew,’ ‘Merri-bek,’ meaning ‘rocky country,’ and ‘Jerang,’ meaning ‘leaf of tree’.

Moreland mayor Mark Riley said any of the three choices would be a name the whole community could be proud of.

“Renaming our council is a small but significant step we can take to right the wrongs of the past, and come together to walk a path of reconciliation,” he said.

“Each of these names has rich ties with this area we call home, deepening our connection with our cultural history, land and environment.”

The name options will be put out for community consultation from next week, and a preferred name put to a council meeting in July.

The decision to change Moreland’s name was made in December and predicted to cost $500,000 to update digital platforms and change signs at municipal entries and key council buildings and facilities.

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation deputy chairman Andrew Gardiner said the name Moreland was associated with the Jamaican slave trade and “dispossession of traditional land from our ancestors”.

Former mayor and independent councillor Oscare Yildiz said the name change was the worst decision the council had made in his 14 years there.

“The community are pretty pissed off,” Mr Yildiz said on Sunday.

He said that he doubted if more than ten per cent of ratepayers backed the plan.

“There’s no public support.”