The renaming of Berwick Springs Lake made headlines in 2025, with the issue being taken to the Upper house and ultimately showcasing a deep divide within the Liberal Party on the matter.
It all began in late November 2024, when a decision to rename the local reserve in Berwick to ’Guru Nanak Lake’, in honour of Victoria’s Sikh community, was met with strong opposition by residents and politicians.
According to the objectors, the renaming, which was prompted by the State Government, had no consultation process wherein longtime residents in the area could provide feedback on the change.
The new name endeavours to honour the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji and according to Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra, a prominent and senior member of the Sikh community, the intention behind the name is to share core Sikh principles.
In the early days of the matter, objectors garnered the support of Berwick MP Brad Battin as well as South-Eastern Metropolitan MP Ann Marie Hermans, both rallied residents and supported community efforts to reinstate the original name.
Both Liberal MPs were in attendance at one of the first gatherings in late 2024 regarding the matter — but concerns erupted after it was confirmed by The Age, that members of a neo-nazi group attended the community wide meeting.
Among them were their leaders, Thomas Sewell and Joel Davis who are both members of the European Australia Movement (EAM).
Michael Ball, president of the Berwick Springs community group, said at the time that the group had no involvement in the opposition of the renaming of the lake and that they were not invited by him or Mr Battin’s team.
Star News reported at the time that according to an Opposition spokesperson, both Liberal MPs left the events once they were aware that these individuals were in attendance and that Victoria Police was alerted.
But it was one of the last times that Mr Battin publicly supported the objectors on the matter.
The affair spilled over into 2025, with a second gathering in protest of the name taking place in March where 500 residents gathered around the controversial lake along with multiple Casey councillors.
It was also the first time the possibility for a parliamentary debate was put on the table, where all they needed was a petition with 2000 signatures to take it to the Upper House.
Details following a Freedom of information request by Ball, revealed that from July 2022 to July 2023, consultation between different agencies took place, including Geographic Name Victoria, Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).
Not long after, it was also revealed that Casey Council, which at that time had been under administration, had passed the baton of power to Melbourne Water in December 2023.
After much ambiguities surrounding ownership of the lake and naming authority — Casey was initially in line to steer the community consultation process, they ultimately pulled out since they were not the naming authority.
Star News reported in March of 2025, that at that point consultation with the Sikh community as well as the traditional owners of the land had already been completed, and with Casey Council out, there was no agency or authority that would carry out the awareness period for the community.
The petition that would take the matter to the Upper House amassed enough signatures however, and after a postponement of the debate in September, the controversy was presented to elected MPs to decide in October.
Bringing the petition to Parliament, MP Ann Marie Hermans remained vocal and steadfast on reinstating the previous name of the lake.
“This government showed complete and utter disrespect for this community when it came out and decided…to change the name of the lake without consulting the community,” said Hermans.
“This is not about hate. It is not about race or religion. It is about a lack of consultation.”
But the MP was ultimately left in the lurch by her fellow Liberal members.
Ms Hermans was only backed by Libertarian MP David Limbrick and One Nation’s Rikki-Lee Tyrell.
The naming of the lake to Guru Nanak Lake, garnered bipartisan support as other MPs stood united and spoke about the deep historical ties the Sikh founder has to the community and what it means to recognise the contribution of Sikhs to Victorian society.
Later, in a media statement, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, championed the outcome of the debate, remarking on the divide between the liberal party.
“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,” said the premier.
Since the debate was lost in October, Ball and many other members of the community have continued to advocate against the name change and have called for greater transparency from the state government.
Star News spoke to Dr Kandra in October who said that he hoped “to build bridges” and wants the Sikh community to stop being used as a “political football”.
