Meetings
Petitions


What is a Petition?  
Petitions inform the Council, in a public way, of the views of sections of the community and they serve as one means of placing community concerns before Council.   Any elector of the City of Stirling or a group of electors may petition the Council to take some form of action over a particular issue. For example, petitions may ask the Council to change an existing Policy, Local Law or recent decision or for the Council to take action for a certain purpose or for the benefit of particular persons. The subject of a petition however must be a matter on which the Council has the power to act.   Care must be taken in the wording of petitions as the City requires certain information and content.   A Petition Form is located on the right under Related Information. 

Petition Requirements  
Clause 5.10 of the City of Stirling’s Meeting Procedures Local Law sets out a number of requirements governing the format and presentation of petitions. These are designed to ensure the authenticity of petitions and protect the intentions of petitioners and the Council.   The Meeting Procedures do not impose any particular style of expression but certain other requirements must be met. It is important that those involved in drawing up petitions familiarise themselves with the requirements before taking steps to collect signatures. This will avoid the possibility of the petition being ruled out of order and not being presented to Council.   To be presented to Council, a petition must:
 
•  be addressed to the Mayor, Councillor or CEO;
•  be made by electors of the district; 
•  state the request on each page of the petition; 
•  contain the names, addresses and signatures of the electors and the date signed;
•  contain a summary of the reasons for the request;
•  state the name of the person upon whom (initiator), and an address at which notice to
   the petitioners can be given;
•  be respectful and temperate in its language and not contain language disrespectful to
   Council;
•  be legible;
•  be in the English language or be accompanied by a translation certified to be correct.
•  The person certifying the translation must place his or her name and address on the
   translation;
•  not contain any alterations; and
•  not have any letters or other documents attached to it.    

Who can Start or Sign a Petition?  
Although a petition only needs to have two elector’s signatures to be accepted it will appear more representative of public feeling if it is signed by as many people as possible. Although anyone can sign a petition, only those City of Stirling electors will be recorded in the official signature count.   An elector is a person who owns or occupies rateable property within the City of Stirling and is eligible to vote in Local Government and State Elections.   All the signatures on a petition must meet the following requirements:  

•  Every signature must be written on a page bearing the terms of the petition, or the
   action requested by the petition (see attached Petition Form).
•  Signatures must not be copied, pasted or transferred on to the petition nor should they
   be placed on a blank page on the reverse of a sheet containing the terms of the petition.
•  Each signature must be made by the person signing in his or her own handwriting.  
 
How can I get the petition presented?  
A petition can only be presented to Council at an Ordinary Council Meeting by the Mayor, a Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer. This can be any Councillor and does not have to be a Councillor from a particular Ward.   The person initiating the petition is to forward the petition to the Chief Executive Officer or a Councillor prior to the commencement of the Ordinary Council Meeting at which they would like the petition presented.  Although the Elected Member is not bound to present a petition, it is traditionally accepted that he or she will present it, irrespective of personal views. Presentation of a petition by an Elected Member does not mean that the Member necessarily agrees or disagrees with its content.   Details of dates, times and location of upcoming Ordinary Council Meetings is shown on the right under Related Information.

What Happens in a Council Meeting?  
One of the first items of business at a Council Meeting is to receive any petitions that have been presented. The Chief Executive Officer or Councillor presenting the petition will read out a summary of the reasons for the petition being submitted and the amount of signatures within it.   When the petition is received, no discussion on the matter will take place however the petition will be referred to the responsible Business Unit within the City for appropriate action.    

What Happens After a Petition has Been Presented?  
Every petition presented will be referred to the Business Unit responsible for the matter, which is the subject of the petition. An assigned staff member from that Business Unit will inform the petition initiator the action proposed in dealing with the petition. This may involve having to prepare a detailed report for a future Meeting of the Council for its consideration.    

Additional Information?  
Further information regarding petitions can be directed to Corporate Governance on 9345 8555.
Related Information

 Petition Form
 Council Meeting Dates