Hundreds of locals in Melbourne’s south-east have turned out to oppose the Victorian state government‘s renaming of Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak Lake after the founder of the Sikh religion.
Upset residents have started a campaign to reverse the name change, which was done earlier this month with no community consultation following a years-long campaign by a Sikh group, and Liberal MP for Berwick Brad Battin held a public hearing on the issue at the lake on Tuesday evening.
More than 600 locals attended the meeting, where speakers including Mr Battin addressed concerns including the lack of consultation and the failure of the left-wing state government to its own criteria under its “Name a Place” initiative, which is supposed to honour Victorians who have made a contribution to the location being named.
Mr Battin also raised the issue in Parliament on Monday, saying that he has been contacted by thousands of furious constituents who feel blindsided and excluded by the state government decision.
Attendees told Noticer News that representatives of the Sikh community also came to the rally. One claimed he could “easily mobilise 1,000 to 5,000 Sikhs tomorrow to protest” and that “a few hundred people is nothing”, while others argued that community concerns were not important as Berwick Springs was “aboriginal land”.
In response to a petition against the renaming the lake which has gathered more than 6,300 signatures, a second petition was started by a pro-multiculturalism group, and a Sikh community leader complained about efforts to undo the name change and also justified the renaming by claiming the land belonged to indigenous people.
“Are people compassionate enough to be able to accept the new name as well as an apology [explanation] to the lack of awareness, or are they going to keep on pressing to change the name?” Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra told the Berwick Star News.
“This is no one’s land, this is indigenous land, we are all migrants here, so those protesting should actually understand that indigenous leaders have ticked off the name change.”
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, SBS Punjabi reported.
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 $600,000in taxpayer funding for Sikh community meal events statewide.
But many locals were unhappy about the change and lack of consultation, saying that it set an alarming precedent.
“This is so wrong. I’ll be fighting for it to be reverted back. This has no relevance whatsoever and is creating further division. Watch this space the residents are furious. Appalling,” wrote one resident on Facebook.
“The process and this renaming of an already established public place is simply wrong. Even more disturbing is the lack of respect given to the local residents who were never consulted. It’s offensive,” head petitioner against the renaming, Michael Ball, said.
“The Berwick Springs lake is the focal point of our local area, it’s our identity and everyone knows it as Berwick Springs. Many residents I have spoken to since Saturday are shocked to say the least, many saying this is unbelievable.
“You cannot change the name of a local area without consultation first, that is this government’s and your first mistake.”
The petition against the renaming states: “Residents find the lack of community consultation a betrayal of democratic principles and extremely poor public sector governance, totally outside what they expect of the elected representatives and public servants.
“Residents are anxious about what this unilateral decision means for our community.
“What relevance does Guru Nanak Dev Ji born in 1494 and founder of Sikhism have to our local area?”
Even some members of the immigrant Sikh community spoke out against the renaming, and warned it could provoke a “racist” backlash.
“I’m a Punjabi Sikh. I’m sorry, but this name is a bad idea. In the rush to ingratiate yourself with Indian Australians (something politicians of all stripes are guilty of), you’ve ignored that Guru Nanak is a *religious* figure,” wrote Amanjit Gill.
“I don’t think we should be naming landmarks after religious figures (unless a landmark’s notability is specifically due to religion). If a person happens to have a Punjabi name but their notability is unconnected to religion, that would be different. But the name ‘Guru Nanak’ exists entirely in a religious context as the founder of Sikhism.
“Additionally, such gestures are cynical – everyone can see it, except for the community being flattered. And they’re counterproductive. Rather than increase harmony, all they ever achieve is increased suspicion and racism against visible minorities.”
A temporary sign has been erected at the lake announcing the renaming, and saying the permanent signage will be “developed in consultation with traditional owners, Sikh communities, City of Casey and Melbourne Water”.
A signboard was also installed by SICV at the site containing information about the Sikhism founder.
There were 91,000 Sikhs in Victoria at the time of the 2021 Census, and the lake’s surrounding suburbs of Berwick and Narre Warren South were home to just 670 and 595 followers of Sikhism respectively.
Header image: Hundreds of locals turn up to protest the name change (Travis Carter – Facebook)
