A petition to rename Hobart’s Macquarie Street to “kunanyi Street” will be put forward to City of Hobart councillors at a meeting tonight, despite some council officials already dismissing the name-change idea.
The petition, initiated by Nadia Booker on behalf of her daughter, sought to rename the street to an Aboriginal name to honour the country’s indigenous people “as soon as possible”.
According to a Council report, it’s recommended that the renaming of Macquarie Street is not pursued any further as it ‘does not comply’ with the State Government’s Tasmania Place Naming Guidelines, adding that renaming the street would be “likely to result in requests for other streets to be renamed.”
The petition, supported by 231 people, highlighted Lachlan Macquarie’s responsibility for the death of many Aboriginal people and sought to rename the street to an Aboriginal name “as soon as possible”.
“Macquarie St is one of the longest streets in Hobart. Our idea is to change it to kunanyi St”, it read.
“[My daughters] suggestion is kunanyi St, but she thinks the Aboriginal community should decide.”
Booker’s daughter was commended for her “activist heart” by her mother, who expressed her pride in her daughter’s initiative.
The petitioners believe that the name change would be a significant step towards acknowledging and respecting Tasmania’s Indigenous history and culture
It remains to be seen whether the council will agree with the petitioners’ proposal, or follow the council report’s recommendation against renaming Macquarie Street.
