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One of the most culturally diverse councils in Sydney has voted to remove all references to Indigenous Australians and the phrase “Always was, always will be” from gateway signage, sparking backlash from critics who say the move is an appalling step in the wrong direction.
Strathfield’s Liberal councillor John-Paul Baladi said his motion was about “removing political language” from existing signage that in his view was “subpar”, “overpriced”, and “divisive”. Baladi pointed to AI-generated images of what future signage could look like.
Council staff have covered up with black tape the phrases “Always was, always will be” and “Wangal Country” on some sandstone gateway signs after Baladi’s motion called for the phrases to be removed or covered immediately. The six existing signs cost $400,000 to install two years ago, a council spokesperson said.
Baladi said: “I think they reflect poorly, to be honest, on Strathfield Council. We should plan for something bigger, bolder, and better.
“Strathfield Council is among one of the most multicultural local government areas in our city, and we believe that all cultures that call Strathfield home should be celebrated equally.”
This is Strathfield Council’s second attempt in weeks to regulate signage – it ignited debate across the country last month when it passed a motion to make English compulsory on all shop signs.
National Centre of Indigenous Excellence chief executive Grant Cameron said the decision to replace the signs was “appalling” and that it had deeply shocked him.
“It’s really nice for Aboriginal people to finally get that sort of recognition and acknowledgement. Then take this away, it’s just a step in the wrong direction,” Cameron, a Kamilaroi man, said.
“To take this away, then where does it stop? I’m shocked, to say the least … I really can’t understand their reasoning.”
Cameron said referencing traditional place names on council signage was a good way to educate people and acknowledge the traditional lands the council sat on. He was concerned about the negative impact removing the signs would have on First Nations people.
The Strathfield local government area is located on the lands of the Wangal people, the traditional custodians of the lands stretching across parts of the inner west, Burwood, and Canada Bay council areas, extending westward towards Parramatta.
There are about 200 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people in the local government area. About 73 per cent of Strathfield’s 45,000 residents speak a language other than English.
University of Technology Sydney law professor Thalia Anthony said the existing signs that referred to Wangal Land were innocuous and a “small gesture without any intrusiveness”.
“White culture is the dominant culture [in Australia], and increasingly so in this political atmosphere of the rise of One Nation,” said Anthony, whose research examines systemic racism and harms toward First Nations people.
“There’s this sense of white victimisation; some reassert themselves by trying to eradicate and erase any Aboriginal symbols or tokens. But the reality is the politics of whiteness do not represent the reality, and that is that Aboriginal people culturally, socially, and economically are highly marginalised, and so trying to make these political points further marginalises their situation.”
Rather than using First Nations people as a “political football”, Anthony said, “we want to calm down, we want to bring down the barometer and think about how we can live together rather than trying to wipe out one another”.
Baladi did not specify the number of resident complaints he had received about the phrases referencing First Nations people, but a council spokesperson confirmed they were not aware any existed.
Baladi did not answer questions about whether he thought replacing the $400,000 signs would be the best use of ratepayer money.
Three Liberal and two independent councillors voted for the motion, and it passed unanimously at the council’s August 25 meeting. Two Labor councillors were not present and therefore did not vote.
A report with more details on costs, designs and installation will be presented in the first quarter of 2027 before councillors decide on next steps. The tentative date for construction to commence is January 2028.
Cumberland Council in western Sydney has proposed plans to ban Welcome to Country ceremonies as well as remove the Indigenous flag from council properties, a motion from January 2025 that failed due to lack of support.
The City of Sydney, Sutherland Shire Council, Bayside Council and Northern Beaches Council are among others in Sydney that have integrated Indigenous place names into public signage.
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Cindy Yin is an urban affairs reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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