Controversy over ‘offensive' park name getting ‘woke' change
The city held public consultation on the proposed name change earlier this year after years of debate and an 11-1 council vote in December approving the change to Koorlangka Park.
Just more than 1800 submissions were received, with 55 per cent backing the name change, while 43 per cent supported keeping the original name.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
Of the 1802 submissions, 40 per cent (746) were from people living outside the City of Joondalup.
Despite public support, the city will need to return to the drawing board for a new name after Landgate said 'Koorlangka Park' would not be supported due to its similarity in pronunciation and spelling to the nearby Koolyanga Road. The park is named Blackboy Park due to the presence of xanthorrhoeas, plants more commonly known today as grass trees. Credit: Simon Santi / The West Australian
City officers have recommended the city pursue an alternative Aboriginal place name through an Aboriginal-led engagement process.
The decision comes despite Landgate, the authority responsible for place naming in WA, previously expressing general support for the proposed name.
The city had engaged Aboriginal consultancy Nyungar Birdiyia in early 2024 to provide a recommendation for the renaming.
Koorlangka Kallip, which loosely translates to 'children's park' in Noongar, was initially suggested by the group, though city officers advised keeping 'Park' based on feedback from Landgate.
The park is named Blackboy Park due to the presence of xanthorrhoeas, plants more commonly known today as grass trees.
Currently there are only a handful of these grass trees in the 20,750sqm park.
Common points raised by those in support of the changes during the community consultation included that the current name was 'offensive, outdated, derogatory and racist', and that renaming the park would be 'more respectful and welcoming'.
The main arguments of those opposed to the change were that the current name was 'not offensive', that it referred to a plant name, and that changing it was seen as 'woke'.
City officers believe the council should still consider changing the park's name as the community expected it.
'The community consultation undertaken revealed that, overall, a majority of those who responded support the renaming of Blackboy Park,' city officers said in a report.
'Actions undertaken by the city and decisions of council on this issue to date have raised an expectation with the community that Blackboy Park will be renamed, and more specifically renamed with an appropriate Aboriginal place name.
'Not proceeding to rename Blackboy Park, or renaming the park with a non-Aboriginal name, creates a reputational risk with members of the community that consider reference to the term 'blackboy' is outdated and offensive.'
The Joondalup council will consider the city's recommendation at their meeting on June 24, following discussion at the agenda briefing on June 10.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Islamic court in Indonesia sentences two men to public caning after they were caught hugging and kissing
An Islamic court in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province on Monday sentenced two men to public caning, 80 times each, after Islamic religious police caught them engaged in what the court deemed were sexual acts: hugging and kissing. The trial at the Islamic Shariah District Court in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, was held behind closed doors. Judges have the authority to limit public access in such a case and open it only for the verdict. The two men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested in April after residents saw them entering the same bathroom at Taman Sari city park and reported it to police patrolling the area. The police broke into the toilet and caught the men kissing and hugging, which the court considered to be a sexual act. The lead judge, Rokhmadi M Hum, said the two college students were 'legally and convincingly' proven to have violated Islamic law by committing acts that lead to gay sexual relations. The court didn't publicly identify the men. Prosecutors previously sought 85 strokes of the cane for each, but the three-judge panel decided on what they described as lenient punishment because the men were outstanding students who were polite in court, cooperated with authorities and had no previous convictions. The judges also ordered the time they have served to be deducted from their sentence. It means the number of lashes will be reduced by four as they have been detained for four months. The prosecutor, Alfian, who like many Indonesians uses only a single name, said he was not satisfied with the lighter sentence. But he said he will not appeal. Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia allowed to observe a version of Islamic law. It allows up to 100 lashes for morality offences including gay sex. Caning is also punishment for adultery, gambling, drinking and for women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers. Indonesia's secular central government granted Aceh the right to implement the law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war. Aceh implemented an expansion in 2015 that extended the law to non-Muslims, who account for about 1 per cent of the province's population. Human rights groups have criticised the law, saying it violates international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the rights of minorities. Indonesia's national criminal code doesn't regulate homosexuality. Monday's verdict was the fifth time that Aceh has sentenced people to public caning for homosexuality since the Islamic law was implemented. In February, the same court sentenced two men to public caning up to 85 times for gay sex after neighborhood vigilantes in Banda Aceh suspected them of being gay and broke into their rented room to catch them naked and hugging each other.
9 News
20 hours ago
- 9 News
Iran says UN nuclear watchdog official will visit country for talks
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A senior official from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog will fly to Iran for talks today, but no visit to nuclear sites is planned, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. Since Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been unable to access Iran's facilities, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31, which led the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, said it remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "Negotiations with the IAEA will be held tomorrow to determine a framework for cooperation," Araghchi said on his Telegram account. "A Deputy Director General of Grossi will come to Tehran tomorrow, while there are no plans to visit any nuclear sites until we reach a framework." This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close view of the Isfahan nuclear technology in Iran after U.S. strikes, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) (AP) Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament suspending cooperation with the IAEA. The law stipulates that any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran's Supreme National Security Council. CONTACT US Auto news: Honda here to stay in Australia, announces growth plans.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Post and boast: Lawyer's warning crackdown on ‘crim-fluencers' could target ‘political material' online
Labor's post and boast laws could face a legal challenge, with environmental activists worried they could be jailed for filming protests and demanding a free speech exemption. Hoons are the primary target of a crackdown on 'crimfluencers' online, announced during the State election campaign, but legal advice that was commissioned by the Australian Democracy Network claims the legislation could 'unjustifiably infringe' on 'free' political communication. The Conservation Council of WA has written to Attorney-General Tony Buti, urging him to excuse 'protest and satire' from the laws. 'We share the concerns of youth justice advocates and legal professionals who say the laws may have a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly young people,' CCWA executive director Matt Roberts wrote. 'We are also concerned the legislation may unintentionally lead to the repression of peaceful, non-violent protest, including for environmental causes.' The Cook Government insists only law-breaking protesters have anything to fear. 'The post and boast laws do not impinge on the right to lawfully protest,' a Government spokesman said. 'They will only impact those breaking the law and glorifying illegal activity'. But Mr Roberts claims a blockade protesting the Barnett Government's Roe 8 highway in 2017 is an example of activity that could become illegal to film and debate online. 'People would have posted some of that and Labor backed that,' he said. 'So when we talk about whether it's lawful or not, people don't actually have to be charged with a crime or convicted in any way for these laws to come into effect against them. 'It seems to me overreach for what we're trying to achieve here, when it comes to protest and people putting themselves on the line because they're concerned about the future of our country. 'I think cooler heads need to prevail at this point and we just need to actually hit pause on this because the unintended consequences seem very significant.' WA Justice Association co-founder Tom Penglis has warned the legislation's current form could have a 'chilling effect' on free speech. 'There is no evidence that 'post and boast' laws deter crime. They're based on 'vibes' not evidence,' he said. 'The proposed laws will unquestionably outlaw the sharing of certain political material, including videos of direct-action activities and non-violent civil disobedience.' The post and boast legislation is due to be introduced on Tuesday, when State Parliament resumes from its winter break. It was announced in January, as part of Labor's $22.5 million community safety package. 'These are laws that we committed to at the election,' Premier Roger Cook said on Friday. 'They're to make sure the Police Commissioner and his team have the resources and the laws they need to reduce the incidents of people going out there bragging to their mates about how they're breaking the rules, flaunting the laws of this State and putting people at risk. So we think this is important.'
