Petitions to Council
Petitions inform the Council of the views of a section of the community and serve as one way of placing community concerns before Council.
Any elector, or group of electors may petition the Council to take some form of action over a particular issue, so long as the subject matter of the petition is a matter on which the City has power to act.
The City’s Meeting Procedures Local Law sets out a number of requirements governing the format and presentation of petitions.
The City accepts hard copy petitions, as well as online petitions using the City’s ePetition facility on the myJoondalup portal.
Hard copy petitions
To submit a hard copy petition, please download the Petition of Electors Form and follow the instructions provided.
ePetitions
The City accepts online petitions through its ePetition facility on the myJoondalup portal.
The City cannot accept ePetitions from any other online platform including change.org.
For assistance in completing an online petition, please contact the City’s Governance Team on 9400 4000.
Petition requirements
Petitions are required to conform to a number of requirements relating to the format and the information presented. Electors are encouraged to use the Petition of Electors form (for hard copy petitions) or the myJoondalup for ePetitions.
A petition must:
- Be prepared in the prescribed form (or similar to that form).
- Be addressed to the Council and forwarded to the Mayor, a Councillor or the Chief Executive Officer.
- Be made by at least 25 electors of the City of Joondalup (an “elector” is a person who owns or occupies rateable property within the City of Joondalup and is eligible to vote in local government and State government elections).
- State the request on each page of the petition.
- Contain a summary of the reasons for the request.
- Contain the legible names, addresses and signatures of the electors making the request, and the date each elector signed
- State the name of the person upon whom, and an address at which, notice to the petitioners can be given
- Be respectful and temperate in its language
Petition request
Your petition must ask for something that the City of Joondalup can do. This is usually something that the City of Joondalup is responsible for and not something that is the responsibility of the State or Federal Government.
Your petition should also give a reason for why you are making the request. The reason provides information to help people understand what you are asking for and why.
Your petition must also use good language.
Your petition cannot:
- Be rude or say nasty things.
- Ask for or promote something illegal.
- Talk about violence or acts of violence.
- Be defamatory or framed in such a way to reflect adversely on an Elected Member, or City employee.
Tip: Make sure your request is clear and easy to understand. People are more likely to sign your petition if they can understand why you are making the request.
Tip: The City does not check or change your spelling and grammar. Please make sure you are happy with the wording in your petition before you submit it.
Submitting the petition
Lead petitioners can hand deliver hard copy petitions to the Chief Executive Officer at the City’s Administration Centre, or present it to a City of Joondalup Elected Member.
Clause 5.11 of the City’s Meeting Procedures Local Law 2013 details the decision-making process following the presentation of a petition to Council:
5.11 Petitions
(2) On the presentation of a petition –
(a) the member presenting it or the CEO is confined to reading the petition; and
(b) the only motion that is in order is that the petition be received and, if necessary, that it be referred to the CEO for action
(3) At any meeting, the Council or committee is not to vote on any matter that is the subject of a petition presented to that meeting, unless
(a) the matter is the subject of a report included in the agenda; and
(b) the Council or committee has considered the issues raised in the petition.
It is requested that Petitions are received at or prior to a Briefing Session, to allow the petition to be checked for validity in accordance with clause 5.11 (1) of the City’s Meeting Procedures Local Law. If so, the Petition will be included on the agenda for the Council meeting immediately following the Briefing Session.
Petitions received after a Briefing Session will be included on the agenda for the following month, except where the petition relates to an item on the agenda at that Council meeting.
The City has developed a set of Frequently Asked Questions in relation to petitions to assist members of the public.
For any assistance relating to petitions, please contact the City’s Governance Team on 9400 4000.