A Melbourne council is a step closer to changing its name, voting to shed its title after discovering it was dubbed after an 18th century Jamaican slave estate.
During a special meeting on Monday evening, Moreland City Council agreed to start consultations on a name change next year.
Council Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder Uncle Andrew Gardiner said the name was not fitting for the area's "diverse and tolerant community".
"We have two examples of racism on display here: global slavery and local dispossession. They come together in one word and that is 'Moreland'," he said.
Traditional Owners and other community representatives recently presented the City of Moreland with information showing the name came from land between Moonee Ponds Creek to Sydney Road, that Farquhar McCrae acquired in 1839.
He named the land "Moreland" after a Jamaican slave plantation his father and grandfather operated from 1770 to 1796, with anywhere between 500 to 700 enslaved people there in any one year.
In 1994, the local government areas of Brunswick, Moreland and part of Broadmeadows were amalgamated and named Moreland by the state government.
A name change will cost at least $500,000 over 2022 to 2023 to update the council's digital platforms and significant building signs, while smaller signs, staff uniforms and vehicles are to be renewed through existing budget allocations over a 10-year period.
Greens Mayor Mark Riley, one of six councillors who voted for the change, said a further 1011 people had signed a letter to support the name change.
"This motion tonight is but one small step in the healing process, and goes some small way to restoring the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and giving them the respect and the rightful link to their land," he said.
Independent Oscar Yildiz was one of three council members to oppose the motion, saying he could not support it on the grounds of the cost of ratepayers.
"We live in challenging times and while some of us are in comfortable taxpayer jobs, there are many Moreland families doing it tough," he said.
When a new name is eventually decided upon, it will be presented to Victoria's local government minister, who must make a recommendation to the Victorian governor.
