The Victorian state government failed to follow official advice to consult the local community before deciding to rename a Melbourne lake after the founder of Sikhism, according to documents obtained by residents fighting the move.
More than 500 upset locals gathered on Sunday as part of a grassroots push to reverse the shock renaming of Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak Lake in November last year following years of quiet lobbying by the Sikh community.
The renaming caused outrage around Australia and sparked a similar-sized rally shortly afterwards attended by now-Opposition leader Brad Battin, and since then a group called Berwick Springs Community has been established to examine the renaming and other local issues.
Organisers of Sunday’s protest said documents obtained under Freedom of Information showed that the Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing (DFFH) had ignored advice from Geographic Names Victoria that “thorough community consultation” was needed.
“It also revealed DFFH ‘proposed to consult the public on the monument design instead of the actual landmark name’ because ‘a commitment has already been made’,” the group said.
“Thus, the required community consultation on the lake renaming was cast aside, but they entertained the idea of feeding the community the crumbs of consultation. Insulting.”
City of Casey Councillor Shane Taylor attended the gatherings, and told Star News it was “fantastic” to see such a large turnout.
“Obviously, this is something that is upsetting the people, that there was no consultation. Our Berwick Springs Lake, now Guru Nanak Lake, was renamed without a word from the State Government, no consultation, no notice, just an announcement,” he said.
“Victoria’s own naming rules require them to consult the ‘immediate community’, that’s us, they didn’t and that’s completely unacceptable.”
Liberal MP Ann-Marie Hermans has also sponsored a parliamentary petition that requires 2,000 signatures to get the renaming debated for 30 minutes in the upper house.
“The petitioners are aggrieved by the failure to consult with the local community on this significant name change and the disrespect it demonstrates. The petitioners are also aggrieved by the division created in our multifaith community by a decision that appears to privilege one faith over others,” the petition reads.
“Finally, the petitioners are aggrieved by the complete disregard for the historical significance of the name Berwick Springs. The name originates from 1855 when William Clarke named his property ‘The Springs’ after the natural springs in the area. Edward Greaves continued this heritage in 1903, maintaining the name for his homestead on Stockyard Drive. This significant documented history, confirmed in a 1993 heritage study, has been disregarded by this decision.”
There were 91,000 Sikhs in Victoria at the time of the 2021 Census, but the lake’s surrounding suburbs of Berwick and Narre Warren South were home to just 670 and 595 followers of Sikhism respectively.
Berwick Springs Lake was officially renamed in a ceremony on November 9 attended by several Labor MPs and the Victorian Multicultural Commissioner that included a “welcome to country” performance conducted by an indigenous man.
“This land belongs to aboriginal people. Being welcomed by them here and having a place named after our Guru is an honour,” said chair of the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria (SICV) Jasbir Singh Suropada, who started lobbying the government to rename the lake in 2018.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said in a speech that the renaming was “another way we are ensuring Victoria’s place names better reflect and celebrate our state’s rich diversity and history”, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt announced $600,000 in taxpayer funding for Sikh community meal events.
Following community backlash, leaders of Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and multiculturalism organisations issued a joint statement supporting the renaming “in solidarity with the Sikh community”.
But Australia’s largest Anglo-Celtic advocacy group, the British Australian Community, highlighted Berwick Springs in its Name Back campaign against the erasure of historic place names across Australia.
“The Victorian government’s sudden renaming of Berwick Springs Lake without any consultation with the local community—is a blatant example of the reality that is asymmetric multiculturalism,” the BAC said.
“Residents were blindsided by the announcement: no prior knowledge, no consultation period, no opportunity to voice concerns. This decision was made in secrecy and imposed on our community, setting a dangerous precedent for the rest of Victoria.”
Header image: The gathering on Sunday (Berwick Springs Community – Facebook).
