Council wants $10 million from State for Fraser Island name change to K’gari

If the name K’gari is to become as well-known as the “globally recognised” Fraser Island, the region which relies on tourism needs the State Government to show it some money, new documents reveal.

For K’gari to retain the same “tourism brand equity” as its former Fraser Island moniker, the mainland region which relies on its tourism dollars will need to spend big, council documents reveal.

The plan to request $10 million from the State Government is detailed in the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Fraser Coast Regional Council which has also been quizzed on whether it is in talks to change the name of the whole region which is home to more than 120,000 people.

Since Fraser Island’s name was formally changed to K’gari (the Butchulla word for paradise) in June this year, tourism and community leaders have been in a race to rebrand related tours, infrastructure and marketing.

Lobbying for the fresh funds from the State Government is listed as one of the council’s Priority Advocacy Projects – a document expected to be adopted by councillors on August 23.

In it, the council states it “is advocating for the State Government to both lead and provide support for local organisations to undertake promotion, rebranding and other activities to facilitate the name change … undertaking this work is crucial to ensuring that the tourism brand equity in the Fraser Island name is transferred to the new name and that K’gari is able to enter the common vernacular”.

Renaming ceremony of Fraser Island back to its original name of KÕgari. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour, who it’s understood was the only councillor invited to the island naming ceremony in June, said the rebranding campaign would be aimed at making sure the world was aware of the change.

“I think this is an opportunity,” he said.

“It opens up another aspect that international tourists are really interested in.”

The mayor believed “in the same way that people go to Uluṟu for its geological significance but also for its cultural significance, that’s how people will see K’gari in the future”.

“Queensland as a tourism destination is going to go through a renaissance,” he said

“People are interested in Aboriginal heritage and culture.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Prince Harry during a welcome to country and smoking ceremony from the island’s traditional owners, the Butchulla people during the royal visit. Photographer: Liam Kidston

The official departure from the ‘Fraser’ name for the island has sparked widespread community debate about whether the next natural step is for the whole Fraser Coast region, the name of which relates to its proximity to the island, to also be changed despite the potentially prohibitive cost to rebrand local businesses and infrastructure.

Asked about this, the mayor said the change “was not something the council was pushing for”.

Councillor David Lewis agreed leaders needed to “ensure that K’gari becomes as well established, as Uluṟu has” and said while he hadn’t been involved in any consultation about the renaming of the Fraser Coast region, he had “an open mind on the issue”.

Deputy Mayor Paul Truscott said he would not support a change for the Fraser Coast region and believed the rebrand planning for the island should have been done before the name change process.

“Changing a globally recognised name requires careful consideration and resources; it can be done but comes at a cost,” he said

Fraser Coast Tourism and Events General Manager Martin Simons said “significant funding would be needed to promote the rebrand of the island” and, ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, “there would be an opportunity to make K’gari the go-to cultural experience in southeast Queensland”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk pictured with fellow Ministers Leanne Linard and Leeanne Enoch on Fraser Island for the name change to K'Gari Picture Supplied

Mr Simons said $175,000 had been provided by the State Government in the lead up to the change to work on a strategy in response to the rebrand and FCTE would work “with the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation to tell the story of K’gari to the island’s visitors and create a cultural product that would appeal to tourists from across the world”.

An application for $1.5 million in further funds had been made to the Queensland Government to enact the first stage of the brand strategy including training of trade suppliers, liaising with operators on the transition toolkit and extensive digital and SEO marketing, Mr Simons said.

The Premier’s office was contacted for comment about the $10 million rebrand request and asked if the State Government was in talks with the Butchulla community and any other leaders about the potential renaming of the Fraser Coast region but at the time of publication, a response had not been received.

Originally published as Council wants $10 million from State for Fraser Island name change to K’gari