Issue 5: Consultation, engagement and the role of local government

The general expressed across submissions was that local government in Tasmania should continue to be actively involved in the Aboriginal and dual naming process, and ensuring that all name proposals to the Nomenclature Board are forwarded to the relevant local council for comment, prior to any formal consideration by the Nomenclature Board.

Question 5.1: Should a revised Aboriginal and Dual Naming Policy ensure that all name proposals to the Nomenclature Board are forwarded to the relevant local council for comment, prior to any formal consideration by the Nomenclature Board?

Fourteen of the 15 respondents to this question support local government involvement in the Aboriginal and dual naming process prior to the Nomenclature Board’s consideration of a proposal. While there was general support across the respondents some provided additional context that should be considered before formalising the role of local government in any revised Policy.

One submission called for ‘local government to take a more proactive role and certainly be involved in the consultation process’ . Other submissions noted that local government support or endorsement is necessary, however ‘should be secondary and non-essential to Aboriginal community support’ .

One Aboriginal community organisation submission called for the ‘establishment of a set of proposals to be developed to ensure that all name proposals to the Nomenclature Board are forwarded via the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) to the relevant local council for comment, prior to any formal consideration by the Nomenclature Board’ .

Another Aboriginal organisation ‘endorse[s] that full consultation and proper participation is entered into and the utilization of local government is paramount as they have ongoing responsibility and understanding of naming of places in their jurisdiction’ .

One respondent concurred with local government involvement, however noted that Councils ‘should also have an opportunity to consult locally on the impact of any name change. This should be part of the open consultation process’ .

One respondent noted that local government ‘are already included in existing consultation processes [under the existing Policy]’ and cited concerns that any further involvement ‘is likely only to delay what already seems a very slow process’ .