Heather Sculthorpe, left, Glenorchy's Kartanya Maynard, 18, and Cape Barren Island community leader Furley Gardner, 85. Picture: KIM EISZELE
TASMANIA'S Aboriginal community will have its heritage honoured with a new policy to use both Aboriginal and introduced names for important regions and landmarks.
Names of areas could be changed if the community embraces the Aboriginal names over the introduced names.
The new Aboriginal and Dual Naming Policy allows for an Aboriginal and an introduced name to be used together as the official name and for new landmarks to be named according to their Aboriginal heritage.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre chief executive Heather Sculthorpe said the policy was the start of recognising that Aboriginal languages, palawa-kani, were important.
"History doesn't start from when the English invaders arrive we go back 40,000 years," she said. "This is a fantastic day for us, we have been working on this for decades.
"It is really fantastic the politicians finally took it up."
Tasmania is Australia's last state or territory to adopt a dual-naming policy for landmarks.
Premier Lara Giddings and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Cassy O'Connor described the new policy as a significant step in reconciliation.
"I'm delighted we will now be able to ensure this important recognition of our First People and their culture," said Ms O'Connor, adding the policy was developed co-operatively with the Aboriginal centre.
"Aboriginal place names deepen our appreciation of the tens of thousands of years of history before the first Europeans."
But Opposition Aboriginal affairs spokesman Elise Archer accused the State Government of not revealing the full details of the policy yesterday.
"We have no objection, in principle, to recognising the original Aboriginal names for significant Tasmanian landmarks," Ms Archer said.
"However, we are concerned that the detailed policy document suggests it is actually about renaming Tasmanian landmarks, not dual-naming.
"It's telling that this detail isn't mentioned in the Premier's media release today ... [she] must clearly explain what is actually being proposed."
Ms Giddings used Northern Territory's Uluru, previously known as Ayers Rock, as a landmark that was now universally known by its Aboriginal name.
"Aboriginal people have had a deep, abiding connection with this land for thousands of years," Ms Giddings said.
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