Petitions inform Council on the views of a section of the community and serve as one means of informing Council of community concerns.
Electors of the City of Cockburn, from different properties, may petition the Council to take some form of action over a particular issue. For example, petitions may ask the Council to change an existing policy, local law or recent decision, or for the Council to take action for a certain purpose or for the benefit of particular persons.
The subject of a petition must be a matter on which Council has the power to act. For instance a petition cannot request the Council to improve hospital services, as this is a State Government responsibility.
When submitting a petition:
- State the request at the top of each page of the petition
- Provide a summary of the reasons for the request
- Provide the names, addresses and signatures of the electors and the date signed
- State the name of the person (initiator), and an address at which notice of the outcome of the Petition request can be given
- Ensure it is legible and contains no alterations
- Ensure it does not have letters or other documents attached to it, with the exception of a covering letter.
The petition must be addressed and submitted to the Chief Executive Officer via one of the following methods:
- Email: to [email protected]
- In person: delivered to the Front Counter of the City's main administration building
- By post: to PO Box 1215, Bibra Lake DC WA 6965
- Provided to an Elected Member.
Petitions no longer form part of the Order of Business at a Council Meeting. When a petition is received by an Elected Member, it will be referred to the Chief Executive Officer for appropriate action.
The Chief Executive Officer will nominate a presented petition to an officer who will be responsible for investigating the matter. The administration will notify Elected Members when petitions are received. The responsible officer will inform the petition initiator of the action proposed in dealing with their petition and inform Elected Members of the outcome. This may involve having to prepare a detailed report for a future meeting of Council for consideration.
For more information please
contact us.