Petitions to Council

Petitions are one of the ways the community can ensure their views are heard by Council. In order to ensure that your petition is valid and able to be accepted by the Council, the Local Law must be adhered to.

How should a petition look?

• Petitions should be written (not in pencil), typed or printed.
• Each petition are to be signed by at least 20 people, joint letters are to be signed by between 2 and 19 people.
• Each petition must begin with the words:
  

  'The petitioners whose names, addresses and signatures appear hereunder petition the Ballarat City Council as follows:'
  ...and then a statement of the terms of request must follow.

• Every signatorys name, address and signature must be clearly stated.

What will happen if a petition doesn't conform to these conditions?

A petition which does not conform to these conditions is not valid and may not be accepted by Council.
If you are concerned about any of the above issues, a Petition Template (37KB) is available to download and use which conforms to the Local Law.

How do I get my petition to a Council meeting?

• In order to make sure your petition goes before Council, you must give the original (signed) petition to your Councillor who will table it at the next appropriate Council meeting.
• Every Councillor presenting a petition must write his or her name at the beginning of the petition or letter.
• A Councillor may present a petition to Council. (Petitions can also be presented by Council Officers.)

What happens to the petition at a Council meeting?

What does a petition not do?

A petition relating to a planning permit application does not constitute an objection. Objections must be lodged separately with the Town Planning unit.

Where can the regulations on petitions be found?

Local Law No.14 - Meeting Procedures.  Section 62 governs how petitions should be presented and what format they should take.

Related content

• Template petition
• Guidance Note - Petitions (PDF - 26KB)