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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-08-06 Daily Xml
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Lake Bonney

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation a question regarding the proposed dual naming of Barmera's Lake Bonney.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: The First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee Region native title group recently requested that Lake Bonney in the Riverland be given the dual Indigenous name of Barmerara. The Berri Barmera Council was asked by the state government for input on this request, and during its public deliberations on the matter a number of councillors stated that constituents had advised them that the lake was also traditionally known as Nookamka. Since there were conflicting views on the subject, the council eventually resolved to ask for consultation with the wider community on the potential dual naming. However, an article in The Murray Pioneer on 25 July this year entitled 'Bye Bye Barmerara' stated that the title originally chosen as a potential dual name for the lake had been abandoned in favour of Lake Bonney Riverland/Barmera as locals disagreed on the most accurate traditional Indigenous name for the lake.

According to a spokesperson from the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, discussions between the local council, that is, the Berri Barmera Council, and the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee native title group resulted in an agreement to drop the 'ra' suffix. With this agreement the department advised that a notice of intent will be published shortly inviting further public consultation for a 28-day period. My questions are:

1. Given some local disagreement over the most accurate Indigenous name for the lake, will the minister advise why the name Nookamka was not considered as part of the original public consultation process?

2. Will the minister confirm when the decision was taken to drop the 'ra' suffix from the name and who took that decision?

3. Will the minister advise the council what form the further public consultation will take, when this further consultation with the local community will commence, and what role his agency will play in that, if any?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:12): I was prepared to answer that question, but the level of detail the honourable member seeks is beyond my capabilities at the present time, so I will undertake to get a fuller response to him and take that question on notice.

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