NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge today announced the NSW Government has taken action to control the registration of business names associated with Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint.

Ms Judge said she had taken the action at the request of the Trustees of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

“I have made a Ministerial Order under the Business Names Act 2002, prohibiting the registration of any business name that suggests a connection with Saint Mary MacKillop, where that connection does not exist,” Ms Judge said.

“This order will help ensure there is no misrepresentation to NSW consumers about whether a business has a connection with Saint Mary MacKillop,” she said.

Any business name that suggests a connection with Saint Mary that does not exist will not be registered in NSW.

That includes any derivation of Saint Mary’s name or status, such as ‘Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop’.

The NSW Government’s action complements recent steps taken by the Commonwealth Government to provide greater protection to the name of Australia’s first saint under federal laws.

Ms Judge said that the order is an important pre-emptive strike against attempts by third parties to appropriate images and the name of Saint Mary MacKillop for their own personal benefit.

“There have been reports of attempts by third parties to use images and derivations of her name in respect of various goods and services in the lead up to the canonisation.

“This order sends a clear message to business and the wider community that the NSW Government won’t stand for unscrupulous people trying to cash in on the name of Saint Mary MacKillop,” Ms Judge said.

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