A petition is a formally written request from residents and/or electors for action. Your request must be something upon which the Shire of Ashburton has the power to act.

How to Prepare a Petition

  1. Address your petition to the Shire President, Shire of Ashburton.
  2. State the request at the top of each page of the petition and summarise your reason(s) for the request.
  3. Include your name, address and signature, with all signatures including the date they were signed. Not including this information will technically make your signature invalid.
  4. Include your main contact details to enable follow-up from the Council.

Follow these steps carefully to ensure your petition meets requirements and can be presented before Council. It is also important your petition does not contain disrespectful or defamatory language.

Petitions and the Local Government Act

There are further requirements should your petition concern the following:

  • A proposal to change the method of filling the office of President.
  • A proposal to create a new district of the boundaries of local government.
  • A request for a poll on a recommended amalgamation.
  • A submission about changes to wards, the name of a district or ward, or the number of Councillors for a district or ward.

We recommend you contact the Chief Executive Officer at the Shire of Ashburton via email at [email protected] or by phone on (08) 9188 4444 for support. These requests must be in a format that reflects the Local Government Act and Regulations.

What happens next?

Upon receiving a petition, the Shire of Ashburton will submit the petition to the relevant officer to be included in his or her deliberations and report on the matter that is the subject of the petition.

At any meeting, the Council is not to vote on any matter that is the subject of a petition presented to that meeting unless:

  • The matter is the subject of a report included in the agenda; and
  • The Council has considered the issues raised in the petition.

If you would like to have a petition presented to the Shire, you must first contact a Councillor and request they present the petition on your group’s behalf at an upcoming Council Meeting.

The Councillor will need to be familiar with the nature and content of the petition. At the Council Meeting, the Councillor is limited to stating:

  • Whom (group, organisation, etc) the petition is from;
  • The petition preamble;
  • The number of signatures; and
  • Issues contained within the petition.