Speakers claim policy will give women hope

A former mayor was amongst 11 speakers calling for a rescission motion to be thrown out at Wednesday’s council meeting.

The trio of Baw Baw Shire councillors seeking to overturn a place names policy endorsed at the April meeting were accused of taking part in a “pissing contest.”

One speaker said the rescission motion “signals that Baw Baw condones gendered violence.”

Passion was aplenty in the chamber as some speakers clashed with councillors during clarifying questions.

The overwhelming majority of speakers - 11 of the 13 - called for the rescission to be rejected.

They said equality in place naming would give women hope, halt unconscious bias and help dismantle violence against women.

Of the written submissions, all six supported sticking with the policy with its 70 per cent target for women’s names and “stop wasting the community’s time further.”

Two speakers supported the rescission motion, arguing a quota was not giving people of all genders equal rights.

Don McLean said data of roads named after women presented at the last meeting “should have been properly researched and accurate.”

Mr McLean said it wasn’t a “burning issue in our community.”

However, Baw Baw place names advisory committee member Rosemary Joiner said the policy addressed barriers to women’s place naming.

“In place naming, identifying women can be easy,” Ms Joiner said. “They are the people after whom places are almost never named despite their achievements. They are the people whose stories have been lost, unrecognised and blocked, even today.”

Dr Nicolette Snowden told council that “names are a means of exerting power, often white colonial power” and “we are here today because a group of men councillors are threatened by the incorporation of equity principles”. She said the policy should be “celebrated and applauded” but to rescind was part of a “pissing contest.”

Alisha Gilliland believed the policy was an opportunity to dismantle some drivers of gender-based violence and urged councillors to “consider your part in dismantling that.”

Arfa Khan declared “we are living in a new world” and place naming was only previously going well “because people were not really speaking, women were quiet.”

Dylan Wilson said current road naming did not represent people who had influenced the region and people - from both sides - were turning this into a partisan debate.

“Just pass it and move on to something that actually affects people’s lives,” Mr Wilson urged.

Joy Vickers quizzed councillors on renowned local woman Joice NanKivell Loch who was not recognised in Baw Baw place naming.

Roy Lindsay said justifying the 70 per cent quota was “farcical” and “merit is the only basis on which names should be allotted.”

He stated the policy only attracted seven submissions, representing “a local feminist activist cohort”, when put to the community.

Sally Gaffa said equality in place naming would “give hope to, quite simply, half the population”.

“If it was based on merit, there would be a lot more women with their name on it,” Ms Gaffer added.

Dr Rochelle Hind said sexual assault and family violence was higher in places where men’s achievements were celebrated and women’s efforts were invisible.

“(This policy) won’t solve everything but it’s moving us in the right direction,” Dr Hind said, adding a rescission “signals that Baw Baw condones gendered violence.”

Pam Parker said “power and privilege is often invisible to those of us who have it”, while Dr Angela Reupert spoke on unconscious bias and how women’s different qualifications and experiences needed to be acknowledged.

Former mayor Ruth McGowan said it seemed Crs Danny Goss, Darren Wallace and Peter Kostos “have shut your ears” to the overwhelming community feedback.

“It is disappointing that you, as grown men and elected officials, are unable to accept the umpire’s decision and the majority ruling on this decision,” Ms McGowan said.

Of the written submissions, Leah Mether said the policy had been dismissed by some as “woke”.

“Such rhetoric trivialises the importance of addressing systemic inequalities and undermines the efforts of those advocating for positive change,” Ms Mether said.

Rob Celada said the motion was “unnecessarily consuming time and energy” whilst Elena Kelareva added “stop wasting the community’s time further.”

Thomas and Jessica Williamson urged councillors to “be on the right side of history with trying to address the ongoing gender inequalities.”

“If it was based on merit, there would be a lot more women with their name on it”