WATTLE Range Council has shot down a bid by the South East Natural Resources Management Board to change its name until after the 2018 state election.
In a letter to the council, the board sought feedback on a proposed name change to the Limestone Coast Natural Resources Management Board to “support the strengthening of a regional identity”.
“The board supports the views of other organisations in the region the ‘Limestone Coast’ provides a unique name for the region, removing confusion at a national scale where there are several other ‘South East’ regions,” the letter said.
“The board is supportive of the Limestone Coast Collaborative’s efforts to develop the regional brand ‘Limestone Coast, unearth our treasures’ as a mechanism for attracting new industries and packaging existing and potential offerings of the South East region.”
Councillor Dale Price raised concerns about the level of expenditure needed to execute the proposed change.
“Do we know what the cost of this renaming is and have they budgeted for it?” he said.
“The new stationary and that sort of thing, do they use what they have got?”
Cr Kevin McGrath expressed his disapproval of the proposal, saying the board should retain its current name.
“I might be old fashioned, but I think the South East sounds better than the Limestone Coast,” he said.
“For people in the state, the South East is still the South East.
“Places like Keith are not really the Limestone Coast.”
Cr Price moved a motion to provide feedback that no change was to be made to the organisation’s name until after the state election.
“The Opposition has suggested they will disband the NRM and replace it with Landscapes SA and they may spend the money on the ground,” he said.
“If this goes ahead, it’s a total waste of funds.
“In this stage of government, it’s probably judicious to wait.”
The motion was unanimously passed.
