governance · Orange City Council
Orange to check who gets remembered in its public place names
An audit will examine the gender balance of names across Orange streets, parks, reserves, sporting facilities and other Council-controlled places, with a new register also under consideration.
Orange City Council will audit the people commemorated in public place names across the Orange Local Government Area, including whether women and men are equally represented.
The audit will cover streets and roads, parks, reserves, sporting facilities, Council facilities and other Council-controlled or Council-named places. It will record whether each name commemorates an identifiable person, the gender representation of those people, and the proportion of names that are non-commemorative, of unknown origin or cannot be attributed to an individual.
Councillors also resolved to review Council’s naming policies, procedures and practices and prepare a framework aimed at progressively improving gender representation in future commemorative naming.
The work will include investigating an Orange Commemorative Names Register containing the names and stories of people with a significant connection to Orange. The resolution gives particular consideration to women whose contributions to the community have historically been under-recognised.
Council will consider nominations and collaboration with local historical, cultural, Aboriginal and community organisations as part of developing the register.
Questions were also raised about naming in new developments. The chief executive officer said developers are responsible for naming and consult Council, with names also passed through the Geographical Naming Board. The audit itself is limited to Council-controlled or Council-named public places.
Cr M Ruddy and Cr M McDonell moved the resolution, which passed seven votes to five. Mayor T Mileto and councillors D Mallard, S Peterson, G Power, M Ruddy and J Stedman voted for it, along with one other supporting councillor. Cr T Greenhalgh, Cr K Duffy, Cr G Judge, Cr F Kinghorne and Cr J Whitton voted against it.
Staff are to complete the audit, report any gender imbalance, review the relevant policies and practices, and bring a proposed framework or amendments and implementation recommendations back to Council. No date was specified.
Reference minutes
Orange City Council, Council - 15 Sep 2026 6:00 PM, 15 September 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The audit covers streets, roads, parks, reserves, sporting facilities, Council facilities and other Council-controlled or Council-named public places in the Orange Local Government Area.
- Council will assess gender representation among commemorated people, as well as names that are non-commemorative, of unknown origin or unattributed.
- A proposed Orange Commemorative Names Register would record names and stories of people with significant connections to Orange.
- Community, historical, Aboriginal and cultural organisations may be involved through nominations and collaboration.
- The resolution was carried seven votes to five, moved by Cr M Ruddy and Cr M McDonell.
- No deadline was specified for the audit or the report returning to Council.
Why it matters
- The audit will shape how Orange commemorates people in future public place names and will allow residents, historical organisations, Aboriginal organisations, cultural organisations and community groups to contribute nominations and local knowledge.