Strathfield Council in Sydney's inner west has covered the phrase "Always was, always will be, Wangal Country" with black tape on six welcome signs, sparking a sharp public divide over the treatment of Indigenous acknowledgement in local government. The signs, which recognised the traditional custodians of the area, cost roughly $400,000 to install in 2024, and the decision to obscure the wording has drawn both praise from those who see it as unifying and condemnation from those who view it as erasing recognition of Aboriginal heritage.

The move was approved at an August 25 council meeting, with three Liberal and two independent councillors voting in favour while two Labor councillors were absent; it was led by Liberal councillor John-Paul Baladi, who called the existing signage "subpar" and politically loaded. A petition opposing the change has gathered 370 signatures, and Grant Cameron of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence branded the decision "appalling". The council says it has received no formal complaints, and a report on replacement designs and costs is expected in early 2027, with construction tentatively pencilled in for January 2028.