【Laruan】

When a public vote decided that Sydney's newest ferry would be Laruannamed Ferry McFerryface, Australians were (understandably) annoyed.

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But according to Transport Minister Andrew Constance, Ferry McFerryface was what "the people vote for," so the local government made it official.

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However, a freedom of information request revealed the public didn'tvote for Ferry McFerryface. An investigation by Australian channel 9 News found that the name only won 182 votes. The real winner of the public vote was the name Ian Kiernan, after an environmentalist who founded the organization Clean Up Australia and led a public cleaning of Sydney's polluted harbor. Ian Kiernan won by an overwhelming 2,025 votes.

The FOI request also found other names were more popular -- and won more votes -- than Ferry McFerryface, including May Gibbs, a children's book author, and Jorn Utzon, the architect who designed the Sydney Opera House.

But Constance overrode the votes and named the boat Ferry McFerryface anyway, following in the footsteps of British research vessel Boaty McBoatface and Swedish engine Trainy McTrainface.

Constance told News 9 Australia that Ferry McFerryface "got global attention" and that it was "a bit fun for the kids with selfies and grandparents."

According to documents obtained by 9 News, officials warned Constance of the "risk of satirical naming campaigns," citing Boaty McBoatface and Mr. Splashy Pants, a whale tracked by Greenpeace.

Constance signed off on the public vote anyway, as long as there were "no fish names." The documents say the competition to name the boats cost a total of $81,000 USD, or $100,000 AU.

Constance has since disputed claims that he went against the public's will in naming the boat Ferry McFerryface. In a statement posted by Daily Telegraph reporter, Constance said that the name came from "the first open call for public nominations where people could vote for any name they chose without stringent criteria." He said that Ferry McFerryface received 229 nominations, compared to 17 for Ian Kiernan.

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Ferry McFerryface will be renamed, according to 9 News, but not to Ian Kiernan.

“After a summer on the harbor, Ferry McFerryface will now be renamed after prominent Australian author May Gibbs,” Constance said. “This will retain the vessel’s appeal to our youngest customers while also recognizing an Australian icon with a long connection to Sydney.”

May Gibbs' whimsical stories include Tales of Snugglepot, which turns 100 this year.

Despite the Constance's backpedaling, it seems that Australians aren't buying into his explanation that there were two different naming processes.

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Ferry McFerryface was one of six ferries in a new fleet, but the only one to be named in a public vote. The other five are called Catherine Hamlin, Fred Hollows, Victor Chang, Pemulwuy, and Bungaree.

Constance told 9 News: “We followed the panel recommendations for the first five, but for the last one we thought let’s do something a bit different.”

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Sydney residents are pretty done with the whole thing.