A petition is a letter submitted to the Mornington Peninsula Shire which has been signed by three or more people from different households. It is the formal process for members of the community to bring issues to the attention of Council. All petitions and joint letters will be listed in the Council Meeting Agenda with an immediate comment from the relevant officer, after the Council meeting they are referred to a Shire Officer for actioning. Petitions must be received 10 business days prior to the Council Meeting. Petitions received after this time will tabled at the next Council Meeting for consideration.
In accordance with our commitment to privacy, only details of the issues raised in the petition and the number of signatories will be included in the Council Agenda, along with an “Immediate Comment” from the appropriate Shire Officer.
Download Petition Lodgement Process and Example(PDF, 215KB)
- A petition should give details of the petition organiser, including an address, email address and telephone number.
- The petition should outline the issue of concern and what you would like us to do.
- Underneath the description, there should be a table for other members of the community who support the petition to give their name, email or street address and signature.
- Where the petition extends beyond a page, please ensure that the description carries over to the top of each page. This ensures that any signatories are clear as to what it is they are supporting and that we are sure that all signatures are representing that particular issue.
All petitions received, either by mail, email or hand delivered will be forwarded to the Governance Unit.
Governance will acknowledge the petition, notifying the petition organiser of the Council Meeting at which the petition will be listed.
Governance will arrange for the petition to be circulated in the Council Meeting Agenda with an immediate comment from the relevant Shire officer. During the Council Meeting there will be no debate or discussion on the item by Councillors, other than to vote on a motion to formally receive the petition or joint letter and refer it to the appropriate Shire officer for further action.
After the Council meeting, Governance will organise the appropriate Shire officer to respond to the petition organiser. A copy of this response is circulated to Councillors for their information.
All submissions, including petitions, relating to planning applications or community engagement actions, to be determined under officer delegation will be considered by the relevant Shire officer in accordance with statutory requirements and will not be presented to Council with an immediate comment.
In cases where planning applications and community engagement actions are called in by Council for determination, all submissions, including petitions, will be provided to Councillors for consideration.
Note, the Shire's Planning Services team receives submissions, including petitions, in relation to advertised planning applications. All advertised planning applications are listed on the Shire's website along with the date the application will be decided.