The petition was started by Ballarat resident and Aboriginal man Peter Milliken.

It had more 350 signatures when it was submitted to the City of Ballarat at the end of last week.

It comes in the wake of another petition with more than 1700 electronic “signatures” collected through the change.org website last month. 

Mr Milliken said he hoped the high number of signatories in both petitions would inspire councillors to reconsider voting on the name again. 

The suburb, to the south of Alfredton and west of Delacombe, was to be named after Wadawurrung Aboriginal elder Mullawallah, also known as William Wilson or King Billy.

At the end of last year, it was rejected by the council after the plan received more than 100 complaints from residents. 

Mr Milliken said the whole process to date had been “incredibly hurtful and disrespectful”.

“When you consider how names of places come from Indigenous origins all over Australia, this it is no different to any other,” he said.

“The exception is this case, that is naming a place in honour of an incredibly respected traditional landowner.”

Mr Milliken said he had been inspired to start the petition to give a voice to Ballarat’s Indigenous people.

He said he knew of Indigenous people who had been in the council chamber when councillors handed down the decision to drop the name, but had been too intimidated by the high volume of people opposing the name to speak out.

“I wanted to make a stand because I can stand up and speak up.

“Most Aboriginal people are fairly shy, they go with the flow. 

“Many have always been dictated to and they are still scared from the past and they don’t want to speak up.

“There were Indigenous people in the town hall the night the name was rejected, but they were just too hurt or afraid to say anything.”

Mr Milliken said the signatures were from “white and black Australians” who lived in Ballarat. 

Ballarat councillor Samantha McIntosh, who submitted the petition to the council on behalf of Mr Milliken, said the name Mullawallah had never been completely dropped.

“It (Mullawallah) has never been taken off the drawing board,” Cr McIntosh said.

“It is simply being put out to public again for further feedback because there were such strong concerns when the initial process was undertaken.” 

Cr McIntosh said she hoped in the second round of consultation there would be more people aware of the history behind the name Mullawallah and the significance it held for the Indigenous community.

melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au