A decision to rename a Victorian electorate from Corangamite to Cox has angered many locals, but not because of all the jokes that will be made about the name.
Last month the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announced a proposal to change the name of the electorate from Corangamite to Cox as part of a redistribution process.
Corangamite Shire Council and Lake Corangamite will no longer be within the new electoral boundaries, and will be moved into the electorate of Wannon, so the committee in charge of redistribution proposed that the electorate instead be named after May Cox, a teacher, surf lifesaver and founder of the Learn to Swim program in the state.
The AEC put the proposed name change up for public comment, and there have been a bunch of complaints, echoing the current member for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson.
.@SHendersonMP: I've already been subjected to a bit of ridicule about the possible name change. MORE: https://t.co/0oLRoY1Wxl #Newsday #auspol https://t.co/X51qIwe7Td
"What self-respecting woman would aspire to be the Member for Cox?!"
"Potentially leading to all sorts of innuendo."
"The member would have to endure countless taunts."
More people objected to the name Corangamite being taken away from the electorate.
Corangamite is derived from the Indigenous word for bitter or salty, in reference to the lake, and the electorate bearing its name has existed since federation. It is one of just a few with Indigenous names, and AEC guidelines around the names for electorates suggests keeping Indigenous names of electorates when possible.
Many people objecting to the name change argued that it was taking away from the area's history.
"‘Corangamite’ is an Indigenous name which highlights a geographical feature in the electorate, associated intimately with the town of Colac and recognized as historically significant," resident Garry Spry said in his submission.
"The renaming may have some basis as purely historical exercise but removing the name associated with the largest geographical feature of the region removes a sense of connection the people of the region have with the federal seat and further undermines what little appreciation we have for our system of government," Michael Delahunty said in his submission.
"There are very few federal electorate names that honour both our Indigenous history and the federation of our nation and for this reason I urge the AEC to retain the name of Corangamite for the seat, Elaine Carbines said.
"I think it is culturally important to acknowledge our entire history, indeed we have a moral obligation to do so," Doris Hansen said.
The AEC is accepting comments on the proposed name change and redistribution until the end of this week.
The AEC decided against renaming the Victorian electorate of Batman, and many of the public submissions argue the AEC should rethink its position and the name should be changed. Not due to confusion with the dark knight, but because John Batman, the man the electorate is named after, was involved in hunting and killing Indigenous people in Tasmania.
"What is there to be proud of in this man, in the light of all we know now about our history?" one submission asked. "How can his name ever be associated with 'democracy'?"