Indigenous Name Backflip – A Win for Queensland

Earlier this year, I showed you this Draft Master Plan for the island of Woppa off the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland, which relegated the Western name of Great Keppel Island to a smaller font and placed it in brackets. The Queensland Government in their infinite wisdom decided to pave the way for the quick deletion of the Western name, which to be fair, they have done before with the renaming of the island of K’Gari, formally known as Fraser Island, in June of 2023. Of course, the potential renaming of Great Keppel upset many people who have grown up with this name. Actually, every single person on this continent, no matter what your heritage, has grown up with the name Great Keppel Island, because not one person was alive 250 years ago when it was named that way.

One Nation Party’s chief of staff James Ashby, who I believe will be running for the seat of Keppel in Queensland’s state election in October, was a vocal opponent of the Great Keppel Island name change, and ran a petition collecting more than 12,000 signatures. Well, there’s a bit of good news. The Queensland Government have somewhat capitulated, albeit quietly – there was no announcement of this. A few weeks ago, this was still the plan, but then the Government released a new version of the document. Both versions are linked below. As you can see, the image of the whale is facing the opposite direction, but more interestingly, the name seems to have been reverted back to Great Keppel Island with Woppa in brackets, both of equal-sized font. I don’t know about you, but personally, I think this is fine. It keeps the name that we all grew up with, as well as giving a nod to the traditional inhabitants. Sure, it’s only a small thing, I’m not saying it’s the deal of the century, but it shows you that people power can influence the government.

We have something similar for arguably Australia’s most famous natural landmark. According to the Government’s Parks Australia, in 1993, the rock was officially renamed Ayers Rock / Uluru. In 2002 these names were reversed and the rock took on the official name of Uluru / Ayers Rock, which it still has today, which means you can use either Uluru or Ayers Rock.

Anyway, the point is, you can’t just expect to delete a name without somebody being upset – obviously. People online will tweet things like: “I really don’t understand why you’re creating such division over celebrating the rich history we have in this country. There was a name before and we’re reverting to that name, what’s the issue?”. Well the issue is very clear in my reckoning, and this is backed up in academia, people don’t like being forced to change. Here’s an article from Bond University Professor Peta Stapleton, a clinical Psychologist, titled: “Why we just can’t force people to like change”. In the article, she states:

“At the core of it all is that we all have a fundamental human need for consistency and certainty.  In other words, we’re not hardwired for things around us to suddenly be different. People have an inherent desire for stability and predictability in their lives which can lead to apprehension and discomfort when it’s not the case. The challenge of adapting can be difficult as it involves navigating the tension between the comfort of the familiar and the potential benefits of embracing new circumstances. Or in this case, place names that people might have grown up with and associate with good times, family holidays or even an imprinted childhood association with the labels in their school atlas. It is essential to consider the diverse perspectives involved in these discussions and work towards solutions that respect the rights and histories of all – and ponder how we can embrace change, rather than reject it, as an opportunity for adaptation, growth and advancement.”

So when Homer Simpson asks, “I really don’t understand, what’s the issue?”, well the issue is very clear. Forcing people to change something they’ve always known is a psychological recipe for disaster. With regards to Great Keppel Island, I think the best solution to acknowledge the wishes of everyone, is to use this most recent incarnation. That is, people who wish to refer to it as Great Keppel Island should be allowed, and those who wish to refer to it as Woppa, okay, that’s fine too. But if the Government want to try to sneakily delete names that have been around for the last 250 years, well they’re going to piss people off, and that’s backed up in psychological science.

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND (WOPPA) CONCEPT MASTER PLAN PROJECT
https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/infrastructure/projects-and-programs/great-keppel-wop-pa-island-master-plan-project

2023 WOPPA (GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND) DRAFT MASTER PLAN
https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/82526/woppa-great-keppel-island-draft-master-plan-2023.pdf

AYERS ROCK OR ULURU?
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/about/ayers-rock-or-uluru/

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn