Wednesday, 26 August 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:56): (2549) My question is for the Minister for Planning. Geelong council has deferred a draft place-naming policy that prioritises Aboriginal names and requires 70 per cent of places named after individuals each year to recognise women or gender-diverse people. I respect the importance of appropriately acknowledging traditional owners and recognising the contributions of women and others, but Victoria’s statutory naming rules state that all naming principles are equally important, that names should link to place and, crucially, that community support matters. Will the minister ask the register of geographic names to clarify publicly whether councils are required to adopt such hierarchies or targets and confirm that local relevance and genuine community support must remain central to every naming decision?