All new public schools in Victoria will replace English names with Aboriginal titles to ensure children recognize the land’s traditional owners

New public schools in Victoria will be given First Nations names as part of a policy to ensure that students recognize the land’s traditional owners.

The Victorian Government has revealed that 14 new state schools will have Indigenous language names when they open in 2024.

The Indigenous titles come after the Department of Education changed its school and campus naming policies to prioritize local First Nations culture and heritage.

The policy is part of the efforts of the Daniel Andrews administration to apply the Treaty and Truth elements of the Uluru Declaration from the heart to better recognize and represent the culture and language of the First Nations.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins visited Yarrabing Secondary College in Aintree – formerly known as Aintree Secondary School – on Monday to unveil the new school names, along with the names of four new kindergartens on school grounds.

Yarrabing is a Woi wurrung word from the Wurundjeri people meaning ‘white gum’ and comes from a short list of Aboriginal names.

Geographical Names Victoria and Traditional Owner Groups worked together to choose the names after a two-week consultation process with more than 7,000 submissions.

“These 14 new schools will ensure growing communities have a great local education for their children and a unique connection to the land through their Indigenous names,” said Ms Hutchins.

Other names include Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College in Werribee, named after the Wadawurring words meaning ‘steps to knowledge’, and Laa Yulta Primary School in Black Forrest, named after the Wadawurrung word meaning ‘many stones’.

The names of the four new kindergartens on school grounds are Laa Yulta Primary School Kindergarten, Wimba Primary School Kindergarten, Warreen Primary School Kindergarten and Murnong Kindergarten.

Geographic Names Victoria and Traditional Owner Groups teamed up to choose the names after a two-week community consultation process with over 7,000 submissions

A full list of the translation of the native school names can be found at the Victorian government website.

The school’s naming policy was first changed in March 2022, which required the department to consult with traditional owner groups.

In the first amendment, the Minister of Education would choose a name for a new school from a list of proposed Aboriginal names.

If no agreement was reached on a name, the minister chose another from the proposed list.

However, in March 2023 Ms Hutchins revealed that the policy would be changed to allow ‘only traditional owner groups’ to propose a name in the Aboriginal language.

‘AAll new government schools and campuses have proposed preferred names, in an initiative to further promote Aboriginal self-determination,” said Ms Hutchins.

The policy also ensures that all new Victorian state schools opening from 2025 will have a First Nations language name.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said the new names help children bond with the country through the school’s Indigenous names

Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-prep Ingrid Stitt said in a statement that she is “proud” of the new names.

“We are so proud that our new friendlier names reflect the land they are on – and help our littlest students understand the role First Nations Victorians play in our heritage and history,” said Ms Stitt.

At least nine new schools due to open in 2025 and 2026 have been given Indigenous names, according to the Victorian School Building Authority.

Earlier this year, 13 Victorian state schools — 11 new and two renamed — were named in the native language, as well as two new campuses, The Age reported.