Australia Post Have Added Indigenous Place Names on Envelopes and We Love It

The new packaging has been introduced during NAIDOC week.

To celebrate 2021 NAIDOC week, Australia Post has made a big change to acknowledge the First Nations people of Australia by releasing a new line of packaging that includes a space for traditional Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander place names.

The change in the packaging was driven by Gomeroi woman Rachael McPhail who has been campaigning for this for a few years.

Speaking to ABC, McPhail was happy to see this important step forward in recognising the Indigenous heritage of this land.

“For every town, for every place in this country, we have an original name, and it’s important to use them as a celebration and to recognise the history and the connection of First People to country” McPhail said.

“This is about paying respects to First Nations people, and their continuing connection to country. If everyone adopts this small change, it will make a big difference.”

Preach!

And finally, an initiative worth writing home about …. Australia Post includes space for Traditional Place Names on parcel addresses. Love this @auspost 💕

Let’s get doing, different!
#NAIDOC2021 #NAIDOCWeek pic.twitter.com/VNRVoRLnH0

— Rohini Kappadath (@TalkingAsia) July 4, 2021

In a statement, Australia Post national Indigenous manager Chris Heelan expressed how this was a huge step forward for Australia thanks to McPhail’s hard work.

“We not only listened to Rachael, but to the overwhelming feedback from thousands of Australians who supported this fantastic concept to recognise traditional Country on their mail,” Noongar man Heelan said.

“Including the traditional place names as part of the mailing address is a simple but meaningful way to promote and celebrate our Indigenous communities.”

After getting this win in the mail department, McPhail is now focusing her attention on a national database of all traditional names so that people can easily work out the traditional place name to put on their mail.

For anyone who might not be familiar with the traditional names for major Australian cities, we’ve compiled a list below:

• Melbourne – Woiworung
• Sydney – Eora
• Adelaide – Kaurna
• Perth – Wajuk
• Darwin – Larrakia
• Brisbane – Yuggera
• Canberra – Ngunawal

To learn more Indigenous place names, be sure to check out the AIATIS map of Indigenous Australia.

2021 NAIDOC week runs from 4 July – 11 July and the theme this year is "Heal Country!".

For those unfamiliar with NAIDOC week, it's a yearly celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and all Australians regardless of background are encouraged to join in on the celebrations and expand their understanding of First Nations peoples. 

To get involved and learn more, look for events in your city here.

Header Image: Australia Post