Dear Supporters,

Since our last update, several significant developments have occurred in our campaign to reinstate the Berwick Springs Lake name and stop this terrible precedent for democracy and secularism in Victoria.

PARLIAMENTARY E-PETITION LAUNCHED

We now have an official Parliamentary petition sponsored by Ann-Marie Hermans MP. 10,000 signatures on the e-petition (or 2,000 on the paper equivalent) guarantee the right to a 30-minutes debate in the upper house. This aims to achieve a formal government review and reversal of the renaming of Berwick Springs Lake.

The petition calls for the Legislative Council to:

• Revoke the unilateral renaming of Berwick Springs Lake;
• Implement proper local community consultation for any future naming decisions, and;
• Investigate the processes that led to the unilateral approval by the Minister.

The petition highlights our three key grievances:

• Failure to consult with the local community on this significant name change;
• Division created in our multifaith community by a decision privileging one faith, and;
• Complete disregard for the historical significance of the name Berwick Springs, which dates back to 1855.

Sign the e-petition: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/renaming-of-berwick-springs-lake

Any Victorian resident, including those under the age of 18, can sign the e-petition. Please support us and share.

FOI REVELATIONS EXPOSED 
Freedom of Information (FOI) request of Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) shows the State Government's "transparency" involves page after page of black bars hiding information. What are they trying to conceal about this process, we wonder. However, documents obtained from FOI to the City of Casey reveal disturbing facts:

• The Minister's office ignored Geographic Names Victoria's advice that "thorough community consultation" was required.
• DFFH "proposed to consult the public on the monument design instead of the actual landmark name" because "a commitment has already been made".
• The State Government deliberately chose to bypass proper consultation from the beginning.
• Unable to meet the "Naming rules for places in Victoria", the Planning Minister used "Ministerial direction" to rename Berwick Springs Lake, a truly extraordinary and rather concerning use of power.

What has occurred in Berwick Springs may well happen in the 6000 places on State Government’s sights under the "Name a Place" Initiative. This makes it even more important that you sign and share the Parliamentary petition.

GATHERING SUPPORT FOR OUR CAUSE

Mayor Stefan Koomen has officially called for a review of the renaming decision, stating "It was wrong not to consult the local community" and has committed to write to the State Government requesting a meeting. Federal MP Julian Hill acknowledged that "it was simply wrong not to consult locals" and that the division created is "undermining our social cohesion."

Our community meeting on March 23, attended by hundreds of residents, was a success. Local Cr Shane Taylor, along with Cr Jennifer Dizon, Cr Lynette Pereira, and Cr Michelle Crowther, publicly supported our fight to reverse this unjust, unilateral decision.

Thank you for your unwavering support to our cause and for standing up for respect, for democracy, and for secularism, keeping religion out of public spaces. It means a lot to us.

Sign and share the Petition now.

The Berwick Springs Community

#BerwickSpringsLake #CommunityVoice #DemocraticProcess