West Australian governor apology for Pinjarra Massacre renews debate over colonial place names

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An Indigenous academic says a historic apology for the Pinjarra Massacre in 1834 could see more scrutiny of colonial place names in Western Australia. Former governor James Stirling led the massacre, prompting debate over whether to strip his name from landmarks around the state. And a warning - this story contains details some viewers may find distressing.

Transcript

00:00All of these landmarks have one thing in common, the same name.

00:06Western Australia's first governor, James Stirling, led a group of armed officials to ambush a Noongar camp in Pinjarra 191 years ago,

00:15where they killed Indigenous men, women and children.

00:19Use of colonial figures' names have long been debated,

00:22but a historic apology to the Bindjerup Noongar people for the Pinjarra massacre has reignited conversation.

00:28One Noongar researcher says the current governor's apology is significant.

00:32I think we're going to see more scrutiny and questioning and dialogue about place names after colonial figures

00:40who have been involved in atrocity against Aboriginal people.

00:44She says there needs to be respectful conversation about names with Aboriginal people, given their trauma.

00:50It's really been a message to Aboriginal people that actually, you know, we haven't mattered and our people's lives haven't mattered here.

00:56The City of Stirling's Mayor says while the conversation is open around name change, there's a process.

01:02We've got to not only understand how we would achieve it, we've got to understand what it would cost

01:08and we've got to understand the implications that flow on from that.

01:11The City says it's prioritising its fourth reconciliation action plan.

01:16They include things like institutional integrity,

01:19they include things like relationships with people in the community, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal,

01:23and meaningful outcomes with things like employment, equity and equality.

01:28While the State Government says it's not planning to change names like Stirling across WA,

01:33it admits there are conversations to be had with Aboriginal people following the WA Governor's apology.

01:39So yeah, this is part of the debate.

01:54The City of Stirling

01:58That's important at the South Fair

02:00Sherrick Maven.

02:01sharesериal

02:04Speaks

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