The Victorian Parliament witnessed fiery exchanges late on Thursday evening as Liberal Upper House MP Ann-Marie Hermans introduced a petition calling for the reversal of the renaming of Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak Lake — a motion that exposed deep divisions within her own party and drew condemnation from Premier Jacinta Allan.
Hermans co-lodged the petition, urging Parliament to “take into consideration” community objections to the lake’s renaming. She argued the government had failed to properly consult residents before naming the site in honour of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.
“This is not about religion. This is not about race,” Hermans said.
“This is about a government that has failed its community and completely disregarded who they are by lacking consultation.”
However, all other Liberal MPs refused to back Hermans’s motion and instead acknowledged the Sikh community’s contribution to Victoria. The split revealed ongoing tensions between those concerned about the consultation process and those unwilling to appear opposed to cultural recognition.
Labor MPs and ministers strongly defended the renaming, which formed part of the government’s Name a Place initiative to reflect Victoria’s multicultural diversity.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt described the petition as “deeply hurtful” to the Sikh community.
“Our state is built on migration and inclusion,” she said.
“The naming of Guru Nanak Lake was done in good faith to recognise a community that embodies compassion, service and unity.”
Premier Jacinta Allan late in the night issued a statement accusing the Liberals of “flip-flopping” on the issue and inflaming community divisions.
“The Victorian Liberals have split on the floor of Parliament today over the name of a lake,” Allan said.
“Last year, we honoured Sikh communities by naming a lake in Melbourne’s southeast after Guru Nanak.
Brad Battin personally campaigned against it — hosting a notorious rally and circulating a hurtful petition that divided the community and hurt Sikh Victorians.
Today, under huge pressure from the community, the flip-flopping Liberals have voted against their own petition that called for Guru Nanak Lake to be cancelled. It just goes to show — if division is what you’re about, then division is what you’ll get.”
Labor MPs John Lister and Dylan Wight also spoke in support of the Sikh community, praising its contribution to public service, volunteerism, and multicultural harmony.
“The Sikh community embodies the best of Victoria — compassion, kindness and generosity,” Lister said.
“Their contributions deserve to be reflected in our shared spaces.”
Despite Hermans’s insistence that her motion was about due process, the debate has reopened wounds within the Sikh community, which Premier Allan said is “still healing from the pain” caused by last year’s protests over the naming.
The lake, previously informally known as Berwick Springs Lake, had no official gazetted name before being designated Guru Nanak Lake in 2023.
Ann-Marie Hermans MP defends her stand
Following the heated debate, Hermans released a statement titled “Standing with the Berwick Springs Community”, reaffirming her decision to cross the floor and sponsor the petition.
“On Wednesday, I crossed the floor to vote in favour of a motion to take note of a petition which I sponsored calling for the reversal of the Berwick Springs Lake renaming and an investigation into the processes that led to it being unilaterally changed,” she said.
Hermans emphasised that her actions reflected her commitment to “freedom of thought and speech” and to representing her community’s concerns, not opposition to any faith.
“This issue is not about division. As the daughter of migrants from Sri Lanka and New Zealand, I champion multiculturalism. I have supported Sikh candidates and organisations, and I regularly attend events at mosques, gurdwaras, churches and temples,” she said.
“All the community has asked for is transparency, fairness and representation. Victorians deserve better. Our community will not bow to Labor’s pressure campaigns or its divide-and-rule tactics.”
Hermans said over 15,000 Victorians had signed petitions calling for the original name to be restored, including two petitions she sponsored, which collectively received around 4,300 signatures.
“Documents obtained by FOI show that several government bodies raised serious concerns about the lack of community consultation and the precedent this would set for the future,” she said.
“Despite these warnings, the government proceeded to rename Berwick Springs Lake without engaging those most affected — the local people.”
Liberal party’s Deputy leader in Upper House and Shadow Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Affairs Evan Mulholland reaffirmed that the Liberal and National parties support the naming of Guru Nanak Lake and stand with the Sikh community.
Mr Mulholland told The Australia Today, “The Victorian Liberals and Nationals support the renaming of Berwick Springs Lake to Guru Nanak Lake and stand with the Sikh community on this important issue,” Mulholland said.
“The party’s position was to support the Sikh community and oppose the petition debate to overturn the name change.”
Mulholland accused the government of mishandling the process and using the issue for political gain.
“Minister Stitt claimed this issue has caused great distress — and we hear that. However, Labor added to that distress by sharing pre-prepared social media images throughout that community, using the name of the revered Guru Nanak Dev Ji to gain political mileage,” he said.
He warned that “politicising” multicultural issues risks eroding trust and unity.
“By wielding multicultural communities for political gain, Labor is causing more distress while spreading division on social media.”
Mulholland also highlighted the party’s history of defending multicultural communities, including standing with the Indian community against anti-Indian sentiment at the ‘March for Australia’ rally earlier this year.
“The party has consistently stated there is no place for division and hate in Victoria and stands with all multicultural and multifaith Victorians.”
A debate that cuts deeper
The Guru Nanak Lake debate has now evolved beyond a naming dispute — becoming a test of Victoria’s multicultural values, community consultation standards, and political integrity.
For some, it is about recognition and inclusion. For others, it is about transparency and accountability. But for all sides, it has reopened a conversation about what multiculturalism truly means in modern Victoria — and how political leaders choose to uphold it.
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