Minister rejects nipaluna

THE Tasmanian Government wants to forge ahead with rolling out more Aboriginal place names for the state, but the name nipaluna/Hobart is firmly off the agenda.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jacquie Petrusma said the Government wanted to push ahead with more dual names for geographic features and places around the state.

“We definitely want to progress it … we believe it does assist in preserving Aboriginal culture and history,” she said.

But Ms Petrusma said dual naming for Hobart was an issue for the local council, rather than the State Government.

THE Tasmanian Government wants to forge ahead with rolling out more Aboriginal place names for the state, although the name nipaluna/Hobart is a topic off the agenda.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jacquie Petrusma said a report on the state’s Aboriginal and Dual Naming Policy suggested wider consultation was needed on the choice of indigenous language and names.

But once broader agreement was reached with Aboriginal communities, the Government wanted to push ahead with more dual names for geographic features and places around the state.

“We want to make sure the Aboriginal community is broadly accepting of the proposal so we can have more dual naming,” Ms Petrusma said.

“We definitely want to progress it … we believe it does assist in preserving Aboriginal culture and history.”

But Ms Petrusma said dual naming for Hobart was an issue for local council, rather than the State Government.

“While I am very supportive of Aboriginal and dual naming … ultimately the name of Hobart is a matter for Hobart City Council,” she said. Ms Petrusma made the comments in a Budget Estimates hearing yesterday, following a question from Greens leader Cassy O’Connor.

Ms O’Connor asked for the State Government’s position on the name nipaluna — the palawa kani name for Hobart which was last month gifted to the Hobart City Council by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

Hobart Lord Mayor Ron Christie accepted the gift during Reconciliation Week and said he would personally use the name nipaluna, but a motion for formal adoption of the name has not yet come before Hobart City Council.

A review of the Aboriginal Dual Naming Policy, announced last July, has received 15 submissions from Aboriginal groups, non-Aboriginal groups, local councils and government agencies. A stakeholder feedback report says most submissions support improved consultation with regional Aboriginal communities and groups.

“A clear view expressed across submissions was that the local and regional Aboriginal groups and organisations should be directly consulted about Aboriginal and dual naming proposals,” the report says.