Council meetings, minutes and agendas - In this section
In this section

How to send a petition to council

A petition is a request for action used to lobby council in relation to a matter for which it is responsible for.

The petition is placed before council with the object of implementing the particular action.

Petitioning is one of the traditional forms by which people can make requests direct to council. Find FAQs below.

  • What are the rules for petitions?

    Any petition presented to council must:

    • Be in legible writing or typewritten;
    • Contain a minimum of 10 signatures (clearly stating the name and address of each person), each only signing once directly onto the petition form and not pasted or otherwise affixed or transferred to the petition;
    • Include page numbers;
    • Contain a cover page detailing the request, suggestion or grievance and the name and contact details of the principal petitioner;
    • Include the details of the specific request/matter must appear on each page of the petition;
    • Not contain substance of an insulting or derogatory/defamatory nature, or contain offensive language (determined in council’s reasonable discretion); and
    • Be addressed to the chief executive officer and be emailed to enquiries@chrc.qld.gov.au, mailed or physically handed in at a customer service centre of Council.

    Council has developed a preferred template for petitions which complies with the above rules.

    A petition will not be an eligible petition if it relates to a matter which is not within the control and responsibility of council.

     

    Image from the Australian Parliamentary Education Office.
  • What are the procedures for signing the petition?

    The petition should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer and be either:

    • mailed to Central Highlands Regional Council, PO Box 21, Emerald, Qld 4720
    • emailed to enquiries@chrc.qld.gov.au
    • physically handed in at a Customer Service Centre
  • How is the petition actioned?

    Once received, the Chief Executive Officer will present the petition to a Council General Meeting. In accordance with the council’s meeting procedure, the Chief Executive Officer may move that the petition be received and referred to the relevant area of council for investigation and report back to council, if required.

  • How do I know if a decision has been made?

    The principal petitioner will be advised in writing of Council’s decision, following the relevant General Meeting.

  • How do I petition other levels of government?

    Click on the following links to find out more about petitioning other levels of Australian government.

Deputations

A deputation is a presentation by a member of the public, who is a resident of the local government area, or by another stakeholder (being a person or representative of a group of persons or an organisation), to address council on a particular matter.

Deputations should relate to matters that either:

  • Directly relate to the role and responsibilities of local government; or
  • Will impact on the Central Highlands Region’s community, in which case the deputation must contain content for information only and not seek any course of action.

Deputations must not be in respect to matters that:

  • Are currently or previously have been the subject of legal proceedings; or
  • Relate to a development application currently under consideration by council; or
  • Seek to prosecute a matter of complaint which should be managed though the complaints management process or relate to a matter which should be managed as a customer request (CRM).

Requests for a Deputation to council can be applied for by completing the Deputation and Briefing Request Form.