Presenting a petition to Council

Petitions provide an opportunity for community members to bring matters of concern to our attention. A petition may relate to any matter within our local government jurisdiction.

A petition is:

  • a formal written request
  • signed by at least 10 people who support the request
  • a mechanism to seek action when all other means or avenues to resolve the issue have been exhausted.

Rules for preparing petitions

To be a valid petition, it must:

  • be in legible writing or typewritten
  • contain a minimum of 10 signatures
  • include the name and contact details of the principal petitioner
  • include the postcode of all petitioners
  • have the details of the specific request or matter appear on each page of the petition.

Petition process

Once you have prepared and submitted a valid petition, it will follow a formal process to ensure it is received, considered and responded to appropriately.
1

Prepare and submit your petition

To be a valid petition, it must meet the above rules for preparing petitions.

 

For best results, use our sample petition. Once downloaded this document can be completed and printed. The full details of the matter must appear on each page of the petition.

 

Sample petition(PDF, 129KB)

 

Once completed, the petition can be submitted via email info@tr.qld.gov.au, handed in person to a customer service centre or mailed to Toowoomba Regional Council, PO Box 3021, Toowoomba QLD 4350.

2

A Councillor will present the petition at the next Ordinary Meeting of Council

When presenting the petition, the Councillor may move one of the following motions:

  • that the petition be received
  • that the petition be received and referred to a committee or officer for consideration and a report to the local government
  • that the petition not be received because it is deemed invalid.
3

The petition is provided to the CEO

No discussion or debate on the subject matter occurs in this stage. 
4

The relevant business area receives the petition

Following the meeting, the relevant business area receives the petition and investigates the matter.

5

Response provided to principal petitioner 

6

Progress updates are made

Progress updates and outcomes are reported through the relevant group report to a subsequent Ordinary Meeting of Council. 

Invalid petitions

Petitions that do not meet the rules of preparing petitions will not be accepted. Petitions created through Change.org do not satisfy our rules and therefore cannot be accepted as formal petitions.

Privacy and publication

The principal petitioner's name and the wording of the petition will be publicly available through the meeting minutes in which the petition is presented.

Petitions relating to development applications

Petitions concerning development applications are managed in accordance with the Planning Act 2016. In these cases, a petition is treated as a single submission, with the principal petitioner becoming the submitter. Individual signatories to the petition are not recognised as separate submitters.

Back to top