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BREAKING: our federal seat is to be renamed for William Cooper, the great Yorta Yorta human rights leader! My respects to all in our suburbs who campaigned for two decades to rename Batman – to the Wurundjeri Land & Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Aboriginal Corp. who led the way, and to Darebin City Council for their advocacy.
I would have loved to have seen the wishes of the Wurundjeri Elders upheld in this renaming. They wanted the seat to be named Simon Wonga, after the Wurundjieri Ngurungaeta and diplomat who stood up to Batman and took the decisive actions that ensured the survival of Wurundjieri Clans and other Aboriginal Clans.
But it’s a great day, seeing our electorate named for a leader of William Cooper’s calibre. His leadership on human rights has been an inspiration to so many, including me. As an activist and a true citizen of the world, he tirelessly petitioned the state and Commonwealth governments on the rights of Aboriginal people in Victoria. He didn’t let constant rejections faze him. He led the ONLY private citizens’ protests in the world against the atrocities of the Nazis in the Kristalnacht. Cooper is an apt name for the most progressive electorate in Australia.
Alex Bhathal 
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