It would appear that among all their other responsibilities, historical revisionism is also a concern of the senior leadership of the department, given the news that they want to rename the Sirius building in Woden, named after HMS Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet.

This follows expressions of "concern" by an unspecified number of staff. The exact terms of those expressions are unknown, but it seems sure that were related to the impact of colonisation and the First Fleet's ties to European settlement.

This concern about a key moment in Australia's history - much of which is uncomfortable and open to reconsideration - is a radical departure from the origins of this site.

When Woden was developed as Canberra's first satellite community more than half a century ago, urban planners deliberately set out to acknowledge the first, second and third fleets and the role they played in early European settlement.

But showing respect to First Fleet heritage is not an attitude that belongs in the last century. The current Sirius building, which replaced a structure with the same name, was purpose-built for the department in 2010 in such a way as to echo elements of HMS Sirius's design.

Changing the name won't alter the fact that the main meeting room - which appears to almost float in the air - was inspired by the ship's high stern. Nor will it erase other nautical themed references including in the design.

The decision to change the name of the building to a new title, to be voted on the 4600 departmental staff who work there, is a strange rewriting of history and, some would say, an attack on Australia's heritage.

While it is true that there is an ongoing debate over the appropriateness of January 26 as Australia Day, and that debate is unlikely to go away until another date is decided, the reality is that a majority of Australians have not fully bought into the "Invasion Day" narrative.

According to a Roy Morgan SMS poll in January, 68.5 per cent of respondents said January 26 should not be redesignated as "Invasion Day".

While the competing narratives surrounding European settlement are hotly contested, and there is a real need to more fully recognise its impact on the Indigenous community over many generations, HMS Sirius played an honourable role in our history.

As one of only two naval vessels in the First Fleet she carried no convicts and, under the command of Captain John Hunter, who was destined to become the second governor of the colony, she was the second ship to make landfall.

Hunter and HMS Sirius arguably saved the fledgling colony by making a dash to the Cape of Good Hope and back in late 1788 and early 1789 for urgently need supplies and foodstuffs.

HMS Sirius was lost on March 19, 1790, while unloading supplies on Norfolk Island. Her crew was marooned there for almost a year, finally being taken off in February 1791.

HMS Sirius's anchor is on display in Macquarie Place in Sydney. Her wrecksite is on the Australian National Heritage list.

Although a ship of war - she carried 10 guns and was considered a "sixth rate", HMS Sirius is not known to have fired a shot in anger after her name was changed from HMS Berwick in 1786.

It would have been far better if the Department of Health had let sleeping ships lie rather than indulging in what appears to be a very odd foray into historical revisionism.