By Ethan Benedicto
Uproar from the recent renaming of Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak Lake has reached Parliamentary discussions on its application and appropriateness.
Events around this renaming are unfolding quickly, with a community-wide meeting scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday 19 November by Brad Battin MP and Ann-Marie Hermans MP.
The gathering is to be held at the corner of Berwick Springs Promenade and The Esplanade, near the playground on the edges of the lake.
Parliamentary events have also broadened, according to the Hansard from Thursday 14 November, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt, emphasised her initial statement of support for the change.
“Guru Nanak’s message and values of unity, equality and selfless service continue to resonate through the contributions of the Sikh community to all Victorians,” she said.
“Sikh Victorians are shocked that Liberal leader John Pesutto came out to oppose the naming of the lake in Berwick Springs after Guru Nanak, a lake which did not even have an official name before Saturday.”
She further added that many locals have loved the naming of the lake after the founder of the Sikh faith and that Pesutto suggested: “that it will lead to people’s barbecues being taken away”.
“We do not need this kind of xenophobic fearmongering in this state when it comes to multiculturalism.
“One of Victoria’s strengths is our diversity, something Labor will always champion, which is why we’re so proud to bring Guru Nanak Lake to life,” she said.
A Victorian Government spokesperson told Star News that Guru Nanak Lake in Berwick Springs “was identified as a suitable landmark due to its positioning in [Casey], which is home to a large Sikh population”.
“The lake did not previously have an official, gazetted name – this is the first time it has been officially named,” they said.
Victoria is also home to the country’s largest Sikh population, with the naming of the lake delivering on a 2018 election promise to name a permanent landmark in honour of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
It is important to note that this renaming is not part of the new Name a Place campaign, which is being delivered by Engage Victoria and Geographic Names Victoria.
However, Stitt’s point was countered by both Berwick MP Brad Battin and the Shadow Minister for Public Transport Matthew Guy, with Guy specifically pointing out the play on politics, the contradiction around barbecues and the Sikh faith.
Without passing a specific opinion on the renaming, he highlighted that anything “associated with the Guru should be revered”.
“Things must be pure and uncontaminated with sin or excess when the Guru’s name is used.
“Hence at a gurdwara, you cannot eat meat, you cannot smoke and you must certainly not attend having drunk or consumed alcohol in and around the gurdwara.
“To do those things would be utterly blasphemous to the Guru and indeed to all Sikhs,” he said.
Guy added that he was “stunned” to hear Stitt state in the Legislative Council on having a barbecue at the lake and that Stitt does not “understand that key part of her portfolio”.
“I was stunned at the ignorance of that comment… to invoke a big meat cook-up, no doubt where people drink alcohol and presumably smoke, in a location that evokes the Guru’s name, encouraged by the [Minister], I believe is stunningly ignorant,” he said.
He also addressed Stitt and asked if the gazetted name comes alongside gazetting the consumption of meat and alcohol at the lake as well, if it was truly “to honour” Guru Nanak or if the naming was “purely for politics”.
Consultation is one of the biggest issues residents have with the renaming, with the relevant naming department addressing key stakeholders such as the Bunurong Land Council, Victorian Multicultural Commission, City of Casey, Melbourne Water, Emergency Management Victoria and Geographic Names Victoria.
Various Sikh communities have also been working closely with the department prior to the renaming, such as the Victorian Sikh Gurdwaras Council, Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria, Siri Guru Nanak Darbar, Compassionate Hands Inc., Dream Harmony Seniors Club and Sikh Cultural Society of Victoria/Siri Guru Singh Sabha.
Bringing it back to local matters, Battin was adamant about an explanation of the consultation process – or the lack thereof – with the local community before the renaming of the lake.
He highlighted that many residents have raised concerns about the lack of awareness, considering the lake’s “proud history in the local area”.
“Casey Council have stated that at no time they were engaged to do local consultation, as the land is Melbourne Water and State Government, and from the [release] there is the admission that only the traditional owners and the Sikh community were consulted,” he said.
Battin also spoke on the $500 that residents in the area had to contribute towards the maintenance of the lake and the use of the surrounding area.
“The concerns raised around this being divisive because it is named after a religious leader, not a local as per the rules of the government’s process… we ask what information the minister has,” he said.
The meeting for 19 November focuses on consultation, with the flyer asking key questions about the lake’s renaming possibly impacting the estate’s name.
The renaming has also hit social media platforms such as Tiktok, while the Change.org petition sits at over 4000 signatures.
This story is developing, and more information will follow as soon as it is available.
