Council battle over plan to rename wards with Indigenous titles

A western Sydney councillor has proposed renaming Cumberland Council’s five wards with Indigenous names, drawing mixed public reaction and a pledge of opposition from a political rival ahead of a Wednesday night meeting.

Independent Cumberland councillor and recent Federal election candidate Ahmed Ouf has lodged a motion calling for council officers to investigate renaming the wards with Indigenous names.

Greens councillor Sujan Selventhiran supports the move. The wards—Granville, Greystanes, Regents Park, South Granville and Wentworthville—were established after the NSW government-forced merger of Holroyd and Auburn councils in 2016.

The Motion

The proposed new ward names are yet to be determined. Clr Ouf said the intent was to recognise the area’s Indigenous history and that any change would be internal to council functions. He said that addresses and daily navigation would remain unaffected. He framed the motion as ‘focused on respect, history and acknowledgement’.

According to the 2021 Census, 0.6 per cent of Cumberland Council’s 252,000 residents identify as Indigenous.

Current ward names

• Granville
• Greystanes
• Regents Park
• South Granville
• Wentworthville

The names followed the 2016 merger of the former Holroyd and Auburn councils mandated by the NSW government.

The proposal has prompted a divided online response. Some commenters argued council funds should be directed to local services such as potholes and footpaths and questioned the need for signage changes funded by ratepayers.

Others supported acknowledging Indigenous heritage through ward names, saying such names would be better than numerical or current titles, according to the report.

Cumberland Council has already adopted several Indigenous names for suburbs, parks and landmarks to recognise Aboriginal heritage.

And  Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown councils have used dual ward names to honour local Indigenous language and heritage for at least five years. Sydney’s Bayside Council and several councils in South Australia are working towards dual names for parks and public places, according to the report.

Political Opposition

Libertarian councillor and one-time mayor Steve Christou said he would oppose the motion, describing it as “diabolical” and “moronic” and arguing that residents require infrastructure upgrades and cost-of-living relief. Clr Christou said he would hold councillors accountable if a majority supports the proposal.

He also criticised what he called a Labor majority on council for voting to increase council rates by 7.1 per cent and to reduce council meetings from two per month to one per month, according to his online post cited in the article.

Proponents

• Ahmed Ouf: Independent councillor proposing an internal ward renaming to recognise Indigenous history
• Sujan Selventhiran: Greens councillor backing the motion for council consideration
• Supportive residents: Online commenters who favour acknowledging original place names

Opponents

• Steve Christou: Libertarian councillor and one-time mayor opposed to the motion
• Critical residents: Online commenters urging spending on roads, footpaths and core services

Community Impact

Clr Ouf said the changes would be administrative and would not require residents to alter addresses or navigation tools. Online Commenters have raised concerns about potential costs for signage and questioned the tangible benefits for ratepayers. Others argued that symbolic recognition through Indigenous names supports acknowledgement of history. The Daily Mail reported that in other councils, dual naming has been in place for years, with one commenter observing it “Hasn’t caused a plague yet.”

Timeline and Next Steps

• 2016: NSW government-forced merger created current Cumberland ward structure
• 2021: Census recorded 0.6 per cent Indigenous residents in a population of 252,000
• Recent weeks: Clr Ouf’s Australia Day comments drew public criticism
• Wednesday night: Council scheduled to consider Clr Ouf’s motion