Petitions enable the community to bring matters of concern to the attention of West Coast Council. Council can be petitioned in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 for any matter.
A petition may be presented to Council through a Councillor or the General Manager. To be accepted for discussion at a Council meeting, a petition must meet the requirements of Part 6, Division 1 of the Local Government Act 1993.
Preparing the Petition
To meet the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993, your petition must:
- Clearly state the subject matter and the action you are requesting Council to take.
- Be written respectfully and in clear language.
- Include a heading and a brief statement of the subject matter and requested action on every page before signatures are collected.
- Ensure each signatory page contains the same statement of subject matter and action requested as shown on the front page of the petition.
Collecting Signatures
- Names and addresses must be printed clearly, with each person signing beside their own details.
- People signing should be aware that their personal information (name, address, and signature) will be included in the Council Meeting Agenda when the petition is tabled, and therefore will be publicly available.
- Petitions must contain only signatures from people who support the petition.
Please note: some online petition templates do not comply with the Local Government Act 1993 and cannot be tabled with Council. For advice, contact West Coast Council before starting an online petition.
Lodging your petition
Your petition must:
- Be addressed to the Councillors and General Manager of West Coast Council.
- Contain original signatures on every page (not photocopies, pasted, or transferred).
For paper petitions:
- include the full name, address and signature of the person lodging the petition
For electronic petitions:
- include the full name and address of the person lodging the petition
- include a statement by that person certifying that the statement of the subject matter and the action requested, as set out in the beginning of the petition, has not changed.
You can lodge your petition by:
- Handing it to a Councillor, or
- Delivering or posting it to: General Manager, West Coast Council, 11 Sticht Street, Queenstown TAS 7467
After lodgement
The petition will be reviewed to ensure it meets the legal requirements.
- If valid, the General Manager will table at the next Ordinary Council Meeting, and it may be referred to Council officers for investigation or a report.
- If not valid, the person lodging the petition will be advised in writing with the reason provided.
The person nominated on the Lodging a Petition Form will receive a written response outlining Council’s consideration or decision.