Australian history

I WONDER why our new doyen of Australian history Barnaby Joyce does not explain how the name “Sydney” was arrived at by Arthur Phillip?

Is it because Sydney was originally named “New Albion” by Arthur Phillip? Albion being the oldest name for Great Britain.

The originator of the plan of colonisation of NSW was Thomas Townsend (1733-1800) the first Baron of Sydney (then later the first Viscount of Sydney).

He took Sydney as the title to honour his kinsman Algernon Sidney (1623-1683) who was a republican political theorist.

It is said that Sidney’s best work was the document entitled Discourses on

Government. It is this document that the likes of Thomas Jefferson studied and used as a template for the American republic.

Sydney is indirectly named after a man who did not believe in the monarchy and was a staunch republican.

Now we see why Barnaby “Kiwi” Joyce doesn’t want to tell us the full and frank details about Arthur Phillip. It would seem, that in his view, we are not mature enough to debate Australia Day or a republic. — JOHN FRIEND, Toowoomba