JEWISH people wouldn't accept a watered-down version of the Holocaust so Aborigines should be able to call the events of 1788 an invasion, an indigenous leader says.

Paul Morris, head of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, declared Sydney's decision to describe the arrival of white settlers an "invasion" as a victory for common sense.



City of Sydney councillors voted last night to wipe the words "European arrival" from official documents, igniting a row over Australia's history.



The new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statement says: "In 1788 the British established a convict outpost on the shores of Sydney Harbour.



"This had far reaching and devastating impact on the Eora Nation, including the occupation and appropriation of traditional lands. Despite the destructive impact of this invasion Aboriginal culture endured and is now globally recognised as one of the world's oldest cultures."



City of Sydney has come under attack for using an offensive and divisive word but the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said Aborigines were the original custodians of the land and that the term was important to them.



But Mr Morris, who was behind push for the new wording, said that the use of the term invasion "should not even be an issue".



"We were invaded," he said. "It is the truth and shouldn't be watered down.

“We wouldn’t expect Jewish people to accept a watered-down version of the Holocaust, and if you ask native Americans, they wouldn’t want the truth of their history watered down, so why should we?” he said.

Wide-reaching effects



Mr Morris urged other councils across Australia follow suit, saying the word was important to indigenous people.



"The invasion is the truth which isn't acknowledged in everyday documents," he said.



"It is a significant event that affected not only a whole race of people but a nation as a whole."



He said that native Americans and Maoris had their past history acknowledged yet Australia hadn’t acknowledged it in every day documents.



During last night’s debate, Deputy Mayor Marcelle Hoff argued that the term "invasion or illegal colonisation" should be used in the council's official documents and statements.



She read out dictionary definitions of invasion as "to take possession, to penetrate, to intrude upon, to overrun".



"They came in and they did not leave.



"When other councillors described the term as offensive, Ms Hoff said: "It's intellectually dishonest to not use words that offend some people."

Divisive, 'emotive' term



However, councillor Phillip Black said the council should moderate using emotive language.



"Healing the past will not be achieved by alienating others. The word invasion has served its useful life. I do not believe it should be used in our documents," he said.



Mr Black was criticised for suggesting in emails that Aborigines were also migrants.