Dozens of staff and students at La Trobe University are calling for the institution to be renamed due to its namesake's links to Victoria's colonial history. In a submission to the state's Indigenous truth-telling inquiry, 57 staff and students, including professors and lecturers, argued that Charles La Trobe's role as the first superintendent and lieutenant governor of Victoria made the name 'inappropriate'.
The submission to the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Australia's first formal Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, stated that La Trobe was the chief government official during a period of 'genocidal violence'. It cited the Eumerella Wars and the 1843 Warrigal Creek Massacre, where up to 180 people were killed, as examples of violence that occurred under his administration.
The submission also highlighted La Trobe's exclusion of First Nations people from Melbourne, including an 1840 order banning Indigenous people from visiting the township. It pointed to international examples such as Canada's Ryerson University being renamed Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022 due to its namesake's role in designing residential schools for Indigenous children.
La Trobe University said it had no plans to rename the institution and noted the issue had not been raised during consultation for its Indigenous strategy. A university spokesperson confirmed awareness of the submission but did not comment further.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission, which has the same powers as a royal commission, is due to deliver a final report by June next year. The submission hopes the commission will support the call for a name change as part of its commitment to truth-telling and justice.
