Place naming

Brimbank park signage that reads "Insert name here"

We are a naming authority under the naming rules for places in Victoria. This means we are responsible for geographic names in the municipal district of Brimbank, with the exception of geographic places of regional, state or national significance.

The guidelines are mandatory for naming authorities in Victoria, and are provided for under section 5 of the Geographic Place Names Act 1998 (Vic). These guidelines are an instructional guide to:

  • naming
  • renaming and
  • adjusting boundaries of features, localities, and roads.

Definition of a place

Under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998, the definition of a place is:

“place means any place or building that is, or is likely to be, of public or historical interest and includes, but is not restricted to -

  1. township, area, park, garden, reserve of land, suburb and locality;
  2. topographical feature, including undersea feature;
  3. street, road, transport station, government school, government hospital and government nursing home.”

Our policy

We have a Place Naming Policy which provides guidance for the naming of places within the City of Brimbank. The major emphasis of this policy is to:

  • preserve our area’s identity and heritage
  • recognise its rich cultural and ethnic diversity
  • ensure any naming decisions are made in the best interests of the whole community.

Place naming process

A request to name or rename a feature, locality or road within our municipality must be received in writing and can be: 

  • generated in-house
  • proposed by members of our community.

The team member responsible for place naming will then assess the request with reference to the guidelines, and our Place Naming Policy

If the proposed name meets both the guidelines and the policy, then the naming process will commence.

The process is as follows:

  1. A report is submitted, asking us to consider the request.
  2. If we agree with the proposal, a 30-day consultation process is undertaken, as outlined in the guidelines.
  3. If no objections are received, the naming proposal will be put forward for consideration.
  4. If adopted, a request is put to Geographic Names Victoria for approval and gazettal.

Call us on 03 9249 4000 for more information or to submit a request. 

Last updated: 15 September 2023 - 8:46am