Forget Batman: One other Melbourne suburb needs a name change

This week the City of Darebin council voted to make an application to rename the Federal Electoral Division of Batman.

It is named after controversial figure John Batman, whose legacy involves the murder of Aboriginal people in Tasmania in the early 1800s. 

While his name may be stripped from the electorate, Wurrundjeri elder Murrundindi told Ross and John we are targeting the wrong name.

‘Fawkner was the devil,’ he said.  

Murrundindi believes we should focus on Batman’s treatment of Aboriginals in Victoria, where he brokered what was described as a treaty to rent their land.

‘John Batman was a protector for Aboriginal people,’ he said. 

Batman has naming rights to multiple places across Melbourne, including parks, streets and a train station.

Click PLAY below to hear the full chat.