Aboriginal Victorians have accused Premier Daniel Andrews of attempting to erase Indigenous culture over an election promise to rename a hospital in Melbourne’s east in honour of the late Queen.
The state’s peak body for Aboriginal health, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), said the move was “deeply insulting” and brought into question the government’s commitment to First Nations people.
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chief executive Jill Gallagher said the proposed name change was deeply hurtful.Credit:Joe Armao
Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, a DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman, also slammed the plans, writing on Twitter: “This is not what Treaty looks like, Dan … What an insult to now colonise us, again”.
Andrews pledged $1 billion to rebuild and rename Maroondah Hospital in Ringwood East on Sunday, a day after the opposition promised $400 million towards improving the facility.
Labor’s proposed upgrade would include the creation of 200 new beds, extra treatment spaces, a new emergency department and a mental health hub. It would also rename it after Queen Elizabeth II.
The hospital’s current name, Maroondah, derives from the Woiwurrung words for “leaf” and “throwing”, a reference to the area’s natural environment and rich Indigenous history.
VACCHO chief executive Jill Gallagher said the proposed name change was deeply hurtful at a time when society was in desperate need of increased recognition of Aboriginal leaders, language and culture.
“Whilst we are surrounded by British culture in this country, Aboriginal culture and the Aboriginal way of life is almost invisible,” Gallagher said.
“Renaming the Maroondah Hospital will see yet another piece of our culture erased and replaced by the culture of the invaders.”
Gallagher said there were countless statues, landmarks and venues dedicated to colonial-era British figures, including two Australian states – Queensland and Victoria – named after queens.
“The capital of Victoria is named after a British prime minister – it never ends,” she said.
Marcus Stewart, the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, shared an image of the Taungurung words for “get in the bin” alongside the caption “some thoughts on the new name”.
Andrews defended the decision on Monday morning, arguing the local government area surrounding the hospital, Maroondah City, would keep its name.
“The local government area remains named appropriately. This is a new hospital, and it’s going to get a new name,” he said.
“We are going to get on and get this done and some may not agree with that, but they are the decisions we’ve made and the announcements we’ve made, and that’s what we’ll push on and get done.”
Andrews then challenged any Victorian who “wants to have a look at our record when it comes to First Nations issues” to do so.
The premier found an unlikely ally in outgoing Liberal Kew MP Tim Smith, who posted on Twitter to defend the move and push for other Liberals to support it.
“I can’t believe this, and I’ve barely said it in eight years, but someone in the opposition needs to say, ‘Yes, Andrews’ idea of renaming Maroondah Hospital after the late Queen Elizabeth II is a good idea’,” he wrote.
Smith was sacked by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy after crashing his Jaguar into a fence outside an eight-year-old’s bedroom while driving drunk last November.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
Most Viewed in National
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
