Presenting a petition

In order for a petition to be considered at an Ordinary Meeting of MidCoast Council, it must be received a minimum of 10 business days prior to the meeting.

A petition must:

1. Be legible and contain no alterations.
2. Be in English.
3. Be clearly written, typed or printed and not have anything attached to it.
4. Contain the request of the petitioner(s).
5. State the subject of the petition on the header of each page.
6. Contain the names and addresses of the petitioner(s) and their original signatures which must not be pasted or otherwise transferred /copied to the petition. Any additional information such as telephone numbers or e-mails, should be clearly listed as optional.
7. Contain a statement advising petitioner(s) that the petition along with their personal details provided may be made public as it is considered at a Council Meeting. It may also be the subject of any Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 application.
8. Pages should be prepared so that there are the same number of signatures on each page. This will assist in determining the total number of signatures.
9. Contain at least one signature on the same sheet as the request.
10. Nominate a contact person for Council to contact as Council will not be able to respond to all petitioners
11. Be respectful and not contain irrelevant or defamatory statements.
12. Be received only as the petition of the parties signing it.
13. Be addressed to the General Manager – MidCoast Council.
14. Conclude with a request that Council do, or not do, something or take some course of action.
15. Be in an original document format, not a postcard, leaflet or the like.

A petition must not:

1. Have letters, affidavits, or other documents attached to it.
2. Be altered in any way from the petition as signed by the petitioner(s)
3. Contain language that is disrespectful to individuals or organisations.
4. Be compiled via electronic means such as change.org.
5. Contain requests for items that are not under Council’s jurisdiction