Petitions

Petitions inform the Shire of East Pilbara's Council, in a public way, of the views of sections of the community, and they serve as a way of placing community concerns before Council.

An elector of the Shire of East Pilbara, or group of electors, 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.

To submit a petition, please download the form below and follow the instructions provided:

Petition Information & Submission Form

Petition Requirements

Clause 6.1 of the Shire of East Pilbara's Meeting Procedures Local Law 2019 sets out a number of requirements governing the format and presentation of petitions. These are designed to ensure the authenticity and integrity of petitions.

To be presented to Council, a Petition must:

  • Be addressed to the President;
  • Be made by electors of the district;
  • State the request on each page of the petition;
  • Contain the name, address and signature of each elector making the request, and the date each elector signed;
  • Contain a summary of the reasons for the request; and
  • State the name of the person to whom, and an address at which, notice to the petitioners can be given.

Who Can Start or Sign a Petition?

Anyone can sign a petition although, only those who are Shire of East Pilbara electors will be recorded in the official signature count.

NB: An elector is a person who owns or occupies rateable property within the Shire of East Pilbara and is eligible to vote in Local Government and State Elections.

All the signatures on a petition must meet the following requirements:

  • Every signature must be written on a page bearing the terms of the petition, or the action requested by the petition.
  • Signatures must not be copied, pasted or transferred onto the petition.
  • Each signature must be made by the person signing in his or her own name.

How Can I Get the Petition Presented?

A petition can only be presented to Council at an Ordinary Council Meeting by the Shire President, Chief Executive Officer, or a Councillor. This can be any Shire of East Pilbara Councillor, and does not have to be a Councillor from a particular ward.

The person initiating the petition is to forward it to the Chief Executive Officer or a Councillor prior to the commencement of the Ordinary Council Meeting at which they would like the petition presented.

Details of the dates, times and location of Ordinary Council Meetings are located here.

What Happens in a Council Meeting?

One of the first items of business at a Council Meeting is to receive any petitions that have been presented. The Chief Executive Officer or Councillor presenting the petition will read out a summary of the reasons for the petition being submitted and the amount of signatures contained within the petition.

What Happens after a Petition Has Been Presented?

Every petition presented will be referred to the directorate responsible for the matter which is the subject of the petition. An assigned staff member from that directorate will inform the petition initiator of the action proposed in dealing with the petition. This may involve having to prepare a detailed report for consideration during a future Council Meeting.

Additional Information

For further information regarding petitions, please contact the Shire's Governance Team on (08) 9175 8000 or by sending an email to [email protected].