The naming of places is a great way to commemorate and recognise prominent or important people who:

• have made a significant contribution or
• had a positive impact on the development of the Northern Territory and its community.

In the Northern Territory, the Place Names Committee applies a number of standards and guidelines when considering a request to officially name a place. Find out more about what the committee considers.

The Place Names Committee will only consider requests to commemorate a person through a place name when the person has been deceased for at least 12 months.

Requests can be submitted through Place Names Online but it is recommended that members of the community discuss their interest in developing a request with the Department beforehand to ensure that the information included in the request is complete and meets all requirements.

Before a request is considered by the Committee, the information provided in the request will be reviewed by the Department and you may be contacted to provide further information or clarification.

There are two types of requests that the Committee can consider to commemorate a person.

Request for inclusion in the Reserve List

The Committee can consider requests from the community to include a person in its Reserve List.

The Reserve List is maintained by the Committee and can be provided by request to third parties such as subdivision developers, local government councils to help them identify potential names for places such as new roads, parks, bridges.

Requests to include a person in the Reserve List must include:

• documentation showing that the family or descendants of the person proposed for inclusion in the Reserve List have been consulted, and agree to all of the below:
  • the request being made to the Committee
  • the inclusion of the person and their biographical information in the Reserve List (at the Committee’s discretion)
  • their contact details (name, phone number and email) being provided to select third parties to facilitate future mandatory consultation - should the name be identified for a future request to name a specific place.
• detailed biographical information of the person proposed for inclusion in the Reserve List including (but not limited to):
  • full name, previous names - such as maiden name, aliases and nicknames
  • date and location of both birth and death
  • significant achievements and contributions to the Northern Territory’s community, development and history
  • significant dates such as marriages, divorces, births of children
  • names of spouses and children
  • education details, profession or military service information, including awards
  • suitability as a fit and proper person for commemoration including information on any criminal convictions
  • any relevant photographs, newspaper clippings that may support consideration of the request by the Committee - if available.

Request to name a specific place

The Committee can consider requests from the community to commemorate a person through the naming of a specific place.

When developing a request, it is important to understand and consider the standards and guidelines that are applied to request assessments by the Committee and ultimately the Minister. For example only surnames are used in commemorative road namings while full name commemorations can be used for parks, eg Smith Road vs Mary Jane Smith Park.

There can also be issues of duplication eg if ‘Smith Street’ already exists in a nearby area (other duplication issues must also be considered such as Smyth, Mith, Smit). Developing a request that recognises these requirements and limitations enables smoother and faster consideration by the Committee.

Requests to commemorate a person through a specific place name must include:

• documentation showing that the:
  • family or descendants of the person proposed for commemoration have been consulted, and agree to:
    • the request being made to the Committee
    • the use of the person’s name for the particular place type (such as road, park) and location of the place
    • inclusion in the Place Names Register of biographical information of the person (subject to approval of the request by the Minister)
  • local government council responsible for the area in which the place is located has been consulted
  • other ‘interested parties’ have been consulted (contact the Department to get help to identify who else may need to be consulted).
• detailed biographical information of the person proposed for inclusion in the Reserve List including (but not limited to):
  • full name, previous names, e.g. maiden name, aliases and nicknames
  • date and location of both birth and death
  • significant achievements and contributions to the Northern Territory’s community, development and history
  • dates of marriages, divorces, births of children etc. and the names of spouses and children
  • education details, profession or military service information, including awards etc
  • suitability as a fit and proper person for commemoration including information on any criminal convictions
  • if available any relevant photographs, newspaper clippings etc. that may support consideration of the request by the Committee.