The community has the right to lobby Council, and can do so through petitioning.
Online petitions
The easiest way to run a petition to be accepted and presented to a Council meeting is to request an online petition. You may choose to also collect signatures on paper too. There are special requirements for paper-based petitions, please read the requirements below.
Request an online petition
- Complete the Online Petition Request Form
- Your request will be assessed
- You will be contacted via the nominated email address within 3 business days
- If your petition request is accepted your online petition will be published
- You will be notified when your Petition is live on our website and given a link
- Let your supporters know about your petition and share the link provided
- You will be contacted after the petition has closed to discuss next steps
Valid paper petitions
For a petition from the community to be accepted and presented to a Council meeting on its own merits, the following requirements must be met:
A petition must be:
- in the Petition Template(DOCX, 18KB)
- addressed to Latrobe City Council
- refer to a matter on which Latrobe City Council has the power to act
- state the reasons for petitioning Latrobe City Council
- contain a request for action by Latrobe City Council
- be signed by at least ten people (must not be in pencil)
- not relate to a matter under consideration through a current submission/objection process (e.g. through the Planning and Environment Act 1987 or the Local Government Act 1989 and 2020)
The terms of the petition must:
- be placed at the top of every page
- not contain any alterations
- not exceed 250 words
- not be illegal and must not promote illegal acts and
- ensure that language is not objectionable or inflammatory in nature
Submitting paper petitions
Paper-based petitions should be forwarded by mail with the details of the head petitioner or other nominated person for follow up, to:
Latrobe City Council PO Box 264 Morwell VIC 3840
or delivered in person to a Latrobe City Council customer service centre during business hours.
Next steps for paper petitions
Once received, officers will provide written acknowledgement of receipt, and undertake an initial assessment against the criteria specified in the Governance Rules to ensure that it complies prior to being presented to the next available Council meeting.
Where the petition does not meet the specified criteria, the following will apply:
- If the subject matter relates to a current submission process (e.g. through the Planning and Environment Act 1987 or the Local Government Act 1989 and 2020), the petition will be considered as a submission/objection to that process
- Any other matter it will be considered as general correspondence and not presented to Council
and the head petitioner or other nominated person notified accordingly.
Tabling at a Council meeting
A petition that meets the criteria will be listed for tabling at the next available Council Meeting with the following information:
- The terms of the petition
- The number of signatures
No discussion or debate is entered into when a petition is being tabled. However, if the petition relates to an operational matter, Council must refer the petition to the Chief Executive Officer for consideration.
Steps after petition is tabled
Once tabled, the petition is:
- Forwarded to the appropriate Council General Manager for action
- A report is presented to a Council Meeting, which will include officers’ recommended response for Council's consideration. Officers may contact the head petitioner or other nominated person as appropriate to clarify any of the issues raised in the petition
- The head petitioner is advised in writing of the outcome of the request contained in the petition within a reasonable time frame
- It is the responsibility of the head petitioner to advise other signatories of the outcome