PORT Macquarie-Hastings Mayor Peta Pinson does not support the removal of the Sir Edmund Barton statue from Town Green.
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Instead, Cr Pinson has told organisers of a petition to have the statue removed or relocated, that she would be open to discussions about how to move forward as a community with a shared cultural vision.
Petition organisers say the statue is considered a homage to the atrocities against Aboriginal people as the result of colonisation and the enduring ideologies that perpetuate racism in today's society.
It is also positioned on a traditional burial site, acknowledged as a sacred place where Birpai people lived more than 1800 years ago.
Skeletal remains and occupation materials were unearthed on site during an upgrade in 1995. This was significant to the local Birpai community.
Petition organiser Arlene Mehan, a Birpai woman who works with her culture and mother tongue, Gathang, and teaches Indigenous Australian Studies at Charles Sturt University, said now is the time for genuine conversation about the region's past and who we want to be as a community moving forward.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council commissioned the sculpture of Australia's first Prime Minister from renowned artist Carl Merten in recognition of Barton and his role in "forging the nation" as part of the centenary of Federation celebrations. It was dedicated in December 2001.
The project was supported by the Federal Government through the Federation Fund and community sponsorship.
"We believe adequate consultation with all sections of the community was not performed prior to this installation in 2001.
"Leadership from governing bodies nationally and worldwide are reviewing the presence of monuments in history that are figures of racism, and often ordered mistreatment and murder of original peoples as well as people of colour.
"It's time to take some collective leadership and consider how we as a community reinforce outdated narratives that perpetuate systemic racism.
"We ask in the spirit of true reconciliation and to support the healing journey of First Nations peoples that it is important we continue to contribute to safe spaces, particularly shared spaces in our local communities, for healing to occur."
The petition currently has more than 3000 signatures.
Cr Pinson acknowledged there are many shameful stories that have shaped Australia's history.
"In my role as a community leader I have the upmost respect for our nation's first people and believe that council can, and should do more, to ensure that we reflect genuine respect in our united vision for the future of our region," she said.
"The truth and trauma of the past are undeniable.
"The world has many shameful stories in its history which cannot be erased, but history it is, and I believe it is in the now that we must find balance and common ground for a better future.
"I would like to be part of that future and would welcome a meeting to discuss what that future looks like.
"I am committed to supporting changing the lens of our society and working towards inclusiveness which demonstrates our multicultural community of today."
Ms Mehan said a collective artwork installation that represents multiculturalism, reconciliation or a coming together could be a better option for the site.
She said the statue could be moved to a space and accompanied by an appropriate dialogue that explains the truth about the country's cultural past.
Ms Mehan said in order to "change the lens of our society" as the mayor suggests, it must be acknowledged that Edmund Barton is responsible for current day systemic racism, and the glorification of this is inappropriate.
"We have an opportunity as a community to address outdated ideologies and do better. We have an opportunity to be accountable for what is in our public spaces and what messages we are reinforcing, and we have an opportunity to be inclusive in action, not just lip service," she said.
"We propose that the statue is moved to a museum, in a space that invites people to reflect on historical wrongdoings."
Conversation needs to be lead by Indigenous people
Australian National University history professor Bruce Scates said tearing down statues could be "cathartic" for groups who had been oppressed.
"First and foremost, these statues are obviously an affront to a significant part of thew community. It stands as a reminder of a past they don't wish to belong to. Modern Australians and Briton repudiate the values these memorials enshrine [and] as long as these memorials remain uncontested and unengaged with in the public space, they are endorsing the values of the past," Professor Scates said.
However Professor Scates said an alternative to removing statues was to have a frank conversation about the person or events it was commemorating.
"In a way these statues can almost become teaching platforms. For example, a lot of the community won't understand that Australia was complicit in the slave trade through Pacific labour, and a lot don't understand issues of violence on the frontier. These statues can be a way to understand the past and give it more context."
Removing the statue does not erase the past either, Professor Scates said.
"The Berlin Wall remained in our consciousness even when it was torn down. First and foremost we should be talking to communities wronged by these statements of white privilege about what they want to do. This conversation needs to be lead by Indigenous people," he said.
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