How to prepare and submit a petition

A petition expresses a concern about an issue, usually on matters of public policy or administration, and contains a request for action to be taken (or in some cases, not taken). It is a way that people can directly place issues before Council for a response.

Individuals, groups or organisations may seek to have petitions presented to the Council.

What must be in a petition?

To be presented to Council, a petition must:

  • be addressed to “The Eurobodalla Shire Council” or “the Mayor and Councillors of Eurobodalla Shire Council”
  • explain the reason for petitioning Council – this must be an issue or matter on which the Council has the power to act, that is, a local government administrative or operational matter (some matters are the responsibility of State or Federal Government, other local authorities, or private entities)
  • contain a request for action to be taken by the Council
  • include the original signature, full name and address of a principal petitioner (the person responsible for the petition) and at least four other signatures
  • include additional pages for signatures (signatures on the back of a page or on a blank page, will not be counted)
  • re-state the request (the action you want Council to take) at the top of each additional page that contains names and signatures
  • be written in moderate language
  • not promote illegal acts
  • consist only of original, hand written signatures (photocopies, faxes or electronic signatures are not accepted)
  • not contain attachments, letters, photos or supporting documentation (any such documents will be returned to the principal petitioner).

Submitting a petition

  • Petitions should be submitted by post, addressed to the General Manager, the Mayor or to an elected Councillor at: PO Box 99, Moruya NSW 2537

Action on petitions

After a petition is received the General Manager or Councillor will assess whether it complies with requirements. Petitions which comply with requirements will then be presented to the Council at a meeting and may be included on the Council’s website. If a petition does not meet requirements, it will be returned to the principal petitioner.

When Council has responded, the response will be recorded in Council’s record system and the response will be sent to the principal petitioner, and may be included on Council’s website.

More information

Contact Council for more information about petitions: