Council is responsible for naming significant places and spaces under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998. The new community hub under construction at Debneys Park will be a landmark building and represents significant investment from Council. This is a rare opportunity to provide a name for a building that will continue to serve the community far into the future.

The new building will be quite different from the old building. It will incorporate many more services and will be more than just a Community Centre. It is important to have a new name that differentiates the new building from what was there previously.

This is also an opportunity to select a name that aligns better with Council Policy and strategic objectives.

Council has a Place Naming and Civic Recognition Policy which guides the selection of names, when a new name is required.

The Policy specifies the requirements that must be considered, including compliance with the Naming Rules for places in Victoria (insert link), published by the Victorian Government.

The Policy and the Naming Rules specify that a name must include relevance to their location, their function and strongly recommends the use of Aboriginal language.

The Place Naming and Civic Recognition Policy encourages the use of Woi Wurrung language in a name to recognise and reflect indigenous culture and history. The Naming Rules also encourage the use of Traditional Owner languages to enable the wider community to be educated about Traditional Owner history and shared culture.

MV2040, Council’s long-term strategic plan, and the draft Reconciliation plan refer explicitly to the development and placement of Woi Wurrung language signs throughout the municipality.

Potential names must go through an approval process prior to consultation with the public, including consultation with the relevant Traditional Owner groups and must receive in principle approval by the Register of Geographic Names. The names suggested for community feedback have been developed to meet the criteria of the naming process and have gained the necessary pre-approvals to prepare them for consultation.

The new hub provides rooms and spaces for multiple purposes and programs that can be easily adjusted according to community needs. They have also been designed to include the following:  consulting rooms for co-located health & wellbeing services, family and children’s activity rooms, community meeting rooms, a kiosk, a café, a large community hall connected to a commercial kitchen, a media / visual arts room, a creative arts studio, a prayer room, sporting club rooms including changing facilities, co-working spaces for service providers, office spaces for council services, and inside / outside open-plan community lounges with connection to Wi-Fi.