Take down Lachlan Macquarie's statue
Petitioner:
Miss Marlee Silva
| Member:
Leong, Jenny
| No. of Signatories:
657
| Date closed:
19/04/2021
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
This petition of the people of New South Wales brings to the attention of the Assembly the deeply disturbing fact that our public spaces still hold monuments honouring colonialism. These monuments perpetuate the false history that Australia was 'founded' in 1788 by British colonial settlers, when in fact, sovereignty was never ceded and First Nations people always have and always will be the traditional custodians of this land.
This petition seeks the peaceful removal of monuments to colonial oppression, starting with the statue of Lachlan Macquarie, who was responsible for the Appin massacre against the Gundungurra and Dharawal people during his time as Governor of NSW.
Macquarie’s name adorns statues, streets, buildings and banks across New South Wales. Yet the man was also instrumental in the brutal subjugation of First Nations people.
NSW citizens do not believe in fighting past violence with more violence. That is why we’re peacefully petitioning to remove his statue.
Removing Macquarie's statue is the first step to acknowledging and remedying the harm done to First Nations people and to making space for role models who better represent what Australia stands for today.
