Petitions and joint letters

A petition is a formal written request which clearly appeals for action to be taken by the Council in relation to a specific issue.

It must comprise of 25 or more valid signatories, contain at a minimum the full name, residential or business address of each signatory, and the request of the petition must be featured on each page.

You may use Council's Sample Petition Template(DOCX, 195KB) to help prepare a petition.

Please note that for a petition to be valid it must:

• Be in a legible and permanent written form.

• Only comprise of signatories that have a residential or business address that is within a 10-kilometre radius of the Hobsons Bay municipal boundary.

• Ensure that every page of a written petition contains the whole of the petition or request.

• Ensure that every page of a written petition is on single piece of paper and is not pasted, stapled, pinned or otherwise affixed to any other piece of paper.

• Not be defamatory, indecent, abusive or objectionable in language or content or frivolous or vexatious.

Council will not consider a petition that:  

• Contains a complaint against the actions or failures of staff or a Council department.  This will be handled by Council as a letter of complaint and handled in accordance with Council’s Complaints Policy.
• Relates to a specific town planning application. The petition will be handled as a joint submission to the planning application.
• Relates to matters beyond the powers or functions of Council.

A joint letter is any correspondence signed by five or more people, it attempts to influence the Council’s decision making or actions.

The joint letter must contain at a minimum, the full name, residential or business address and the request of the joint letter must be featured on each page.

You may use Council's Sample Joint Letter Template to help prepare a joint letter [when approved by Julie].

Please note that for a joint letter to be valid it must:

• Be in a legible and permanent written form.

• Only comprise of signatories that have a residential or business address that is within a 10-kilometre radius of the Hobsons Bay municipal boundary.

• Ensure that every page of a joint letter contains the whole of the petition or request.

• Ensure that every page of a joint letter is on single piece of paper and is not pasted, stapled, pinned or otherwise affixed to any other piece of paper.

• Not be defamatory, indecent, abusive or objectionable in language or content or frivolous or vexatious.

Council will not consider a joint letter that:  

• Contains a complaint against the actions or failures of staff or a Council department.  This will be handled by Council as a letter of complaint and handled in accordance with Council’s Complaints Policy.
• Relates to a specific town planning application. The petition will be handled as a joint submission to the planning application.
• Relates to matters beyond the powers or functions of Council.

A joint letter or petition must:

• Be in a legible and permanent written form.

• Only comprise of signatories that have a residential or business address that is within a 10-kilometre radius of the Hobsons Bay municipal boundary.

• Ensure that every page of a written petition or joint letter contains the whole of the petition or request.

• Ensure that every page of a written petition or joint letter is on single piece of paper and is not pasted, stapled, pinned or otherwise affixed to any other piece of paper.

• Not be defamatory, indecent, abusive or objectionable in language or content or frivolous or vexatious.

Council will not consider a petition that:  

• Contains a complaint against the actions or failures of staff or a Council department.  This will be handled by Council as a letter of complaint and handled in accordance with Council’s Complaints Policy.

• Relates to a specific town planning application.  The petition will be handled as a joint submission to the planning application.

• Relates to matters beyond the powers or functions of Council.

Before submitting a petition or joint letter to Council, please ensure you have reviewed the petition and joint letter guidelines above.

A petition or joint letter can be submitted to Council by: