A major television network’s practice of showing a weather map with indigenous names for cities has sparked heated debate.
On SBS’s flagship World News Bulletin, the Australian weather map is first shown with the English names of each capital before moving on to indigenous titles.
Sydney becomes Warrang, Brisbane becomes Meanjin, Melbourne becomes Naarm, Adelaide becomes Tarndanya and Perth becomes Boorloo.
Perplexed 2GB listener Peter called into Ben Fordham’s show on Wednesday morning to complain that indigenous names would mean nothing to the vast majority of viewers.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine told Fordham that while displaying Aboriginal place names is a “good idea”, it starts to “get a little crazy and over the top, and that’s when it bothers people”.
Mundine admitted that when airports display indigenous names of Australian cities on departure boards, he doesn’t know what place they are referring to.
“I was standing there trying to catch a plane and I didn’t know where I was going,” he said.
‘Where is that place? If you fly from A to B, put it from A to B.
SBS World News shows indigenous names of Australian capitals on its weather maps from February 2023.
Some Australian airports alternate between displaying English and Indigenous names at departures and arrivals.
Those who responded to the radio segment on the station’s Instagram page were strongly polarized about the use of indigenous names.
“Symbolic nonsense,” one staffer called it.
‘What are they trying to prove by shoving that down our throats? Virtue signaling at its finest,” another commenter wrote.
“Imagine the poor international tourists,” another person wrote.
However, there were some who liked the idea.
“I love this…the languages of the lands are so diverse,” one person wrote.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine said the Aboriginal names of capital cities displayed at an airport almost caused him to miss a flight.
‘It’s very good, educational too. “I like it,” said another.
Some responded to those who were unhappy with the renamed maps.
“It seems like the only ones who are angry and complaining are those who listen to 2GB and watch Sky News,” one person wrote.
“So yeah, conservatives are the only ones getting active.”
SBS shows indigenous names for Australian capital cities from February 2023.
Introducing the measure, the publicly funded broadcaster said it would reflect “traditional custodianship and more than 60,000 years of history.”
Introducing the practice, SBS resident elder and Widjabul Wia-bal woman Rhoda Roberts AO said “the revitalization of First Nations languages heals our nation”.
“For me, it is a moment of a new awakening that informs us all,” he said.
‘Behind every word you will find information about the seasons, the place and the ecology of our wonderful country. It’s more than education: it’s also science and the understanding that words can enlighten us all.’
SBS head of news and current affairs Mandi Wicks said at the time that the network “was proud to take this important step in the representation of First Nations in Australian media”.
“The power of language to foster inclusion cannot be underestimated, and this initiative will further share First Nations languages and cultures with all Australians,” he said.