Petitioning is a long-established process for members of the community to demonstrate community support for a request or views on a matter, and for that request or view to be presented directly to Council. The information below is extracted from Councils Governance Rules and explains the rules associated with petitions including how they must be prepared, the process for submitting them and how they will be considered.
A Petition tabled by a Councillor at an Ordinary Meeting may be dealt with as follows:
a) motion may be proposed to accept and note the Petition and resolve to: i. deal with it in conjunction with an item on the Agenda; or ii. refer it to the Chief Executive Officer for consideration and response; or. iii. call for a report on the subject matter of the Petition.
b) If a Petition relates to an operational or service matter, Council must only resolve to refer it to the Chief Executive Officer for consideration.
c) No member of the public is permitted to speak to a Petition when presented at an Ordinary Meeting or ask a question pertaining to the Petition during Public Question Time.
To ensure compliance with the rules and processes organisers of petitions are encouraged to contact Councils Co Ordinator Governance Services – via Governance.services@darebin.vic.gov.au to discuss the wording and format of their petition and the above rules.
A petition ideally with a covering letter identifying the organiser / submitter may be lodged with Council in a number of ways:
A person organising a petition may contact a Councillor themselves to ascertain that Councillors willingness to table the petition or alternatively Council Officers will liaise with the appropriate local Councillor.
After a petition is tabled at a Council Meeting the organiser of the petition (or the first named signatory if no organiser / submitter is identified) will be contacted by the Council Officers responsible for the matter / issue to inform them how the matter will be dealt with ( ie see point above )
Past Council Meetings Minutes and Agendas