A Bunbury historian’s proposal to erect a statue to WA’s first governor has been criticised by local Indigenous elders, with the local council voting to defer the motion until they have consulted its heritage committee.

Local historian Bernhard Bischoff proposed the City of Bunbury set aside land for a memorial to Captain James Stirling on the western end of the Frank Buswell Foreshore.

Captain Stirling has been long recognised in Bunbury with a plaque, a street and two buildings bearing his name.

He was a major figure in European settlement of Western Australia and the State’s first governor.

But he was also involved in the massacre of dozens of Noongar people at Pinjarra in 1834.

At a meeting, after complaints from local elders, City of Bunbury councillors went against its executive recommendation to reject the proposal and instead passed it to the Heritage Advisory Committee for advice.

Dr Robert Isaacs believed it was time to build memorials to Indigenous people instead.

Noongar elder Mervyn Eades told the ABC the City should have rejected the proposal.

“They shouldn’t even be entertaining it,” he said.

“It’s a real slap in the face to the Noongar people.”

Another Noongar elder, Dr Robert Isaacs believed it was time to build memorials to Indigenous people instead.

“If they’re going to put a statue up down there then an Aboriginal statue has to go alongside it, just like the Aboriginal flag alongside the Australian flag,” Dr Isaacs said.

The heritage committee has no indigenous representation, something mayor Jaysen Miguel told the ABC he would like to see changed.

“We certainly are very careful and mindful of that Indigenous community, and obviously if there’s been offence there, we do apologise,” he said, adding that the council was discussing setting up an Indigenous advisory committee for future consultation.