Naming public parks, bridges and buildings

The development of new facilities and infrastructure provides new opportunities to commemorate the Northern Territory’s (NT) history.

What can be named

Under the Place Names Act 1967, you can apply to name public infrastructure including:

• urban and community parks
• bridges
• buildings such as:
  • recreation or sporting grounds
  • medical institutions
  • nursing homes.

The naming of Territory parks and reserves falls under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976.

The naming of schools is carried out by the Department of Education and Training under the Education Act 2015.

Types of names

While there are some restrictions and limitations in road namings to use only the surname of a person being commemorated, there are generally no requirements to do this for a park, bridge, building or other infrastructure where the full name of a person can be commemorated.

While not a requirement, a theme can be used for naming types of facilities and infrastructure.

An example is the naming of truck parking bays/rest areas to commemorate important contributors to the development of the trucking and transport industry through the NT’s history.

Who makes the request

It is usual for the owner of a park, bridge, building or other public infrastructure to submit the request to the Place Names Committee.

The law requires that the committee only recommend to the minister a name for a building if the owner agrees.

Propose a name

If you are interested in having a name approved for a park, bridge, building or other public infrastructure, speak with the owner of the asset in the first instance to find out if they would support your proposal.

To start a place naming project and get help to develop a project specific consultation plan, contact the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment.

Find out more about how places are named.

Request a name be added to the reserve list

You can also make a request to have the name of a person included in the reserve list.  It can be used in the future when a commemorative naming opportunity arises.

Find out how to nominate a person for commemoration.