"A missed opportunity"

Australia has shared a long, complex history with the British monarchy since it’s colonial beginnings. Queen Elizabeth II, crowned in 1953 was the longest serving of six monarchs since Federation in 1901, but public attitudes shifted during her decades-long reign.

In the wake of the Queen’s passing in 2022, Indigenous Australians and supporters took to the streets of Melbourne and Brisbane  to protes t the National Day of Mourning and call for an end of the monarchy. While many mourned the loss of a powerful figurehead, for the protesters the Queen represented an earlier brutal period of colonization that resulted in the loss of Indigenous life and land.

Queen Elizabeth first visited Western Australia in 1954 and she returned another fifteen times before the end of her reign. To commemorate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, then State Premier Colin Barnett named Perth’s new waterfront development ‘Elizabeth Quay.’

Officially opened in  January 2016 , but with some buildings still under construction, Elizabeth Quay is one of the most recent additions to a list of dozens of Australian geographic locations, buildings and monuments named in the late Queen’s honour.

Former Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi  said in 2012 , when the name was announced, that it was potentially divisive and a missed opportunity “to have branded WA through the choice of a more uniquely WA name.”

The development’s name was also criticised by Aboriginal former MP Ben Wyatt, who said it did little to develop West Australia’s identity.

In a comment piece  he wrote  for the Sydney Morning Herald in 2016, he included Elizabeth Quay in a list of colonial names and said: “All these names reflect a story of possession. Possession, by its nature, shares the tale of territorial conquest, not of the importance of the landscape that developed our ancient Aboriginal people over many centuries.”

Mr Barnett defended his decision in 2012, telling listeners of  radio station 6PR : “I don’t believe a long debate or public consultation with so-called stakeholders, whoever they might be, is the way to go. I think you elect a government to try to make considered and good decisions.”

Presently, local businesses aren’t entirely satisfied with name of the quay. Tour Guide Tabatha Markwater who operates boat tours said Elizabeth Quay, as a name, doesn’t represent the wide range of what Perth has to offer. She said: “It’s often really quiet and just doesn’t have much of its own culture yet.”

As a tour guide, Ms Markwater acts as an ambassador for the space and said she is a huge advocate for using indigenous names. The tours cover the colonial history of the region, so she believes it’s of utmost importance to recognise the traditional owners of the land.

Jacqueline Chester, a supervisor at Elizabeth Quay’s Gusto Gelato said that Elizabeth Quay is “still a foetus in terms of its potential as a location” and needs a lot more time to develop into something that truly represents what Perth has to offer.

Six Degrees bar manager Kadek Daramawam approves of the name and said: “Having the Queen’s name attached to the Quay gives the area a lot of value, as it holds a lot of prestige.” He believes that tourists and customers are familiar with the name, and the royal association imparts value directly to businesses in the area.

A representative from the West Australian Visitors Centre said that as there are two sides to Australia’s history, an effective way to acknowledge both sides is the use of dual naming for prominent locations.

Dual naming is the approach whereby geographical features or places are officially recognised by two distinct names. One name is usually of Aboriginal language origin and the other of non-Aboriginal origin. But it is unclear whether dual naming could be applied to Elizabeth Quay, using the current process outlined by WA's land information authority, Landgate.

The organisation's  Aboriginal and Dual Naming guidelines  explain that Landgate “is committed to the continued recognition of Aboriginal cultural heritage by capturing and recording the original place names and connection to geographical features and places.”

As Elizabeth Quay is a recent construction and not a natural feature, it would likely fall outside of the existing process framework.

However, Landgate Director Data Collaboration Peter Birkett explained: “The area under and surrounding Elizabeth Quay may have been known by a traditional name for many thousands of years.” 

He said this traditional name could potentially be preserved through dual naming of the constructed, physical feature. He added: “The guidelines don’t explicitly exclude this scenario and all conversations about preserving cultural heritage through place naming are encouraged.” 

Another option for the name change would be on the order of the Minister for Lands, who is granted the power by the Land Administration Act 1997 to name, rename or cancel the name of any geographic feature, road or reserve.

In his 2016 comment piece, Mr Wyatt said there was scope for an indigenous name because of the importance of the river to Aboriginal people. He added: “It's not an attack on the Queen. It's just the fact that we are, as a State, very well removed now from the monarch in our day-to-day life.”

In an account on the  Kaartidigin Noongar website  elder Tom Bennell confirmed that the Swan River/Derbarl Yiragan and its tributaries hold great significance to the Noongar people through connection to the sacred rainbow serpent ‘Waugal’. Elders teach an understanding of connection via stories about the Waugal creating creeks, waterholes, lakes and valleys on its journey to the ocean.

Despite significant changes to the landscape, many Noongar people continue to access the river for sustenance, knowledge, and spiritual renewal, and practice distinctly Noongar cultural associations with the river environment.

While, according to Landgate, there are no current plans for renaming or integrating dual names for Elizabeth Quay, shifting attitudes towards the monarchy and the acknowledgement of traditional landowners speak to a spreading awareness of Indigenous culture and the possibility for change in our future.