The Greens have introduced a motion to Victorian parliament calling on the state government to immediately reverse its decision to rename Maroondah hospital after Queen Elizabeth II, describing the move as a form of “recolonisation”.
Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, on Sunday pledged to rebuild the hospital, in Melbourne’s east, at a cost of $1bn and rename it after the late monarch if re-elected in November.
The announcement was immediately met with criticism from Indigenous leaders, including federal Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, the co-chair of Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly, Marcus Stewart, as well as Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) CEO, Jill Gallagher.
Victorian Greens leader, Samantha Ratnam, moved a motion in parliament’s upper house on Tuesday calling on the government to reverse its decision, describing it as akin to “recolonisation”.
“What is Labor thinking changing the name of a hospital from a First Nations word to the name of a foreign monarch representing colonisation?” she said.
“It is a disrespectful decision that erases precious Woi wurrung language. This is not what treaty looks like. If this government is serious about treaty it would listen to First Nations communities and act now, not later.”
Ratnam’s motion noted Maroondah hospital is “one of very few public places in Victoria using First Nations language for naming conventions” and is derived from the Woiwurrung words for “leaf” and “throwing”.
It will be debated on Wednesday, the final sitting day of ahead of the 26 November election.
Stewart said the First Peoples’ Assembly, an elected body set up to develop the state’s treaty framework, was not consulted prior to the decision to rename the hospital, which he described as now “culturally unsafe” for Indigenous people.
Gallagher said the lack of consultation was disheartening and brought into question the government’s commitment to walk with First Peoples.
“Renaming the Maroondah hospital will see yet another piece of our culture erased and replaced by the culture of the invaders,” she said in a statement.
“Culture needs to be seen and understood as a protective and healing factor for Aboriginal people. Anything that takes away from our culture has detrimental impacts on the health and wellbeing of our people.”
Andrews on Tuesday defended the decision, saying the surrounding local government area would still be named Maroondah and the redeveloped hospital would be close to the Maroondah highway.
He said members of the First Peoples’ Assembly had been elected only to “negotiate treaty”.
“That’s what they are elected to do, and we are delivering that treaty,” Andrews told reporters at the Austin hospital, where he announced a further $1bn for upgrades to emergency departments in Melbourne’s north, if re-elected.
“It’s a brand new hospital for Melbourne’s east and it’s going to get a new name, and it’s going to be absolutely fantastic.”
