A western Sydney councillor has sparked controversy over a bold proposal to rename his local council wards in recognition of the area's Indigenous history.
Independent Cumberland councillor and recent federal election candidate Ahmed Ouf has lodged a motion calling for council officers to investigate the possibility of renaming its five wards with Indigenous names.
Backed by Greens councillor Sujan Selventhiran, the motion will be a hot topic at Wednesday night's council meeting.
The wards are currently named Granville, Greystanes, Regents Park, South Granville and Wentworthville following the NSW government-forced merger of the former Holroyd and Auburn councils in 2016.
Of the 252,000 residents who call Cumberland Council home, just 0.6 per cent are Indigenous, according to the 2021 Census.
The proposed new ward names are yet to be determined.
It comes just weeks after Cr Ouf sparked outrage by comparing Australia Day to 'Holocaust remembrance', claiming those who celebrate the national public holiday on January 26 might 'start another genocide'.
He took to social media to address concerns about his latest proposal, stressing that the renaming will not affect the daily lives of residents.
Independent Cumberland councillor Ahmed Ouf wants to rename the council's five wards
The aim is to honour the area's Indigenous history. Pictured is an Invasion Day protest
'My proposal is to not change Auburn to another name, or Granville to another name,' he began.
'It's simply to change internally within the council the names of our wards into Indigenous names.
'This is done to further acknowledge the 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's history and contribution to Australia.
'This change will not affect your daily life, so don't worry, your Google Maps directions aren't going to change.
'You don't need to worry about updating your address everywhere. Auburn is still Auburn.'
He added that his motion was about respect, history and acknowledgement.
Cr Ouf's proposal sparked a divided reaction and hundreds of comments online, with many arguing the money would be better spent on fixing potholes and footpaths.
'It won't impact day-to-day lives? So then why do it? Would you change or add signs at the cost of the ratepayers?' one person fumed.
The proposed new ward names for Cumberland Council are yet to be determined
Cumberland councillor Steve Christou will oppose the 'moronic' motion at the meeting
Another person wrote: 'This helps no one. This furthers the divide.... on purpose me thinks. Why spend money time and division on something with no tangible outcomes for ratepayers?
'Fix the potholes, fix the footpaths, get spending under control. Why don't we start renaming mosques and churches and temples with Aboriginal names? They exist on Indigenous land.
A third wrote: 'I'm all for respect, but who gave you the right to rename things towards a culture. Maybe focus on Australian people who have made a difference in the Cumberland region, maybe someone there could help you with a history lesson for the region who represented 'all' of Cumberland.'
But others welcomed the idea.
'I think it's great that we acknowledge the original place names. Mind you, some people will find it very difficult to accept,' one woman commented.
Another added: 'Seems reasonable to me, my council has Ward 1, Ward 2... Aboriginal names would be much better.'
Cumberland Council has already adopted several Indigenous names for suburbs, parks, and landmarks in recognition of its Aboriginal heritage.
Councillor Ouf stressed that the ward renaming would not impact the daily lives of residents
Nor is it the first council to consider Indigenous names.
Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown councils have had dual ward names to honour their local Indigenous language and heritage for at least five years.
'Hasn't caused a plague yet,' one man commented online.
Sydney's Bayside Council and several others in South Australia are working towards dual names for their parks and public places.
Daily Mail has contacted Cr Ouf for further comment.
Libertarian councillor and one-time mayor Steve Christou vowed to oppose the 'diabolical' and 'moronic' motion.
'Residents deserve better and if the Labor majority go along with this, it will add to their shame of voting to increase council rates by 7.1 per cent and voting to decrease council meetings from two a month to one a month,' he posted online.
'Local residents deserve councillors who will fight for them and provide infrastructure upgrades and cost-of-living relief, not wasting council time with woke idealistic fantasies that offer no real assistance to the community whatsoever.'
Cr Christou vowed to hold councillors accountable if the majority pass the motion.
