A petition or joint letter is a letter submitted to 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 are tabled at a Council meeting, after which they are referred to a Shire Officer for actioning.
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 and minutes, along with an “Immediate Comment” from the appropriate Shire Officer.
Download Petition Lodgement Process and Example(PDF, 43KB)
- A petition or joint letter should give details of the petition organiser, including an address, email address and telephone number.
- The petition or joint letter 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, 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 or joint letters received, either by mail, email or hand delivered will be forwarded to the Governance and Legal Department.
Governance will acknowledge the petition, notifying the organiser when the petition will be tabled at a Council meeting, as well as providing the name and contact number for the Shire Officer who will be managing the petition once it has been tabled.
After the Council meeting, Governance will organise the appropriate officer to respond to the petition organiser. A copy of this response is circulated to Councillors for their information.
The Shire's Planning Services team receives submissions, including petitions and joint letters, 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.
All submissions, including petitions and joint letters, relating to planning applications to be determined under officer delegation will be considered by the relevant Planning Services officer in accordance with statutory requirements and will not be presented to Council with an immediate comment.
In cases where planning applications are called in by Council for determination, all submissions, including petitions and joint letters, will be provided to Councillors for consideration.