Petitions
Petitioning is one of the traditional ways by which members of the community can have their say on issues affecting them.
A petition is a formal, written request, signed by a minimum of 10 persons.
Petitions must represent personal interests or may only represent the interests of another person with their express permission.
Certain personal information must be provided with a petition, such as the full name of petitioners, addresses, signatures and email addresses.
All information, including personal information, will be publicly disclosed after a petition is accepted by Council with petitions presented to the Ordinary Meeting of Council.
Council may contact individuals identified in a petition about the petition matter.
Rules for Petitions
A petition should:
- be written in English,
- be brief and to the point,
- be polite and modest in their language,
- not contain any language which is offensive or likely to be offensive to any member of the public,
- not breach the privacy of others,
- not request a grant of public money or a remission of any duties or debts,
- not promote anything that may constitute spam, such as commercial interests, solicitations, advertisements or endorsements, and
- not contain external website links.
Council reserves the right to review any submitted petitions to ensure compliance.
How to lodge a petition
Paper Petition
In addition to the rules for petitions, the paper petition should:
- Be an original document. Photocopies will not be accepted.
- Each page must contain the request, suggestion or grievance and name of the principal petitioner.
- Be clearly written with no alterations.
- Be written in English or accompanied by an English translation if written in another language and certified by a qualified translator that it is a true and correct translation of the petition details. Contact details of the translator are to be included.
- Be a standalone petition and not have letters, affidavits or other documents attached.
- Signed by the principal petitioner on each page.
This templated Petition to Townsville City Council Form (PDF - 745KB) may be used as a guide.
Your completed paper petition can be submitted to us in the following ways:
- At a Customer Service Centre at either 143 Walker St, Townsville or Citylibraries Riverway, 20 Village Boulevard, Thuringowa Central
- Email it to us at: enquiries@townsville.qld.gov.au
- Post it to us at: The Chief Executive Officer, Townsville City Council, PO Box 1268, Townsville, QLD 4810
- Handed to your local divisional councillor
e-Petitions
Besides the traditional paper petition, a petition can be started and signed online. These are called e-Petitions. E-Petitions enable petitioners:
- To access a broader target audience.
- Constantly monitor the number of signatures for an issue.
- The ability to easily collate signatures.
Request an e-Petition
The process to request an e-Petition:
- Select the menu 'Request an e-Petition'.
- Enter your personal details and the exact e-Petition wording in the respective fields. Include the e-Petition title, opening and closing dates, Division, issue or grievance and action required.
- Be clear and concise with your message and read over it carefully before submitting. Ensure the discussion point is something that Council has jurisdiction over (that is, something Council has the power to change).
Before any e-Petition is published on Council’s website, the e-Petition's legitimacy is checked through an approval process (for example, checking the e-Petition submitter details are correct and that the language is appropriate).
Signing an e-Petition
Council's e-Petition website allows community members to respond to a petition online by registering personal details in support.
- To sign an e-Petition, select the e-Petition which you wish to support from the 'Current e-Petitions' page.
- Select the 'sign e-Petition' link and complete the contact details.
- Thoroughly read and accept the website's 'terms and conditions' via the check box.
- You will receive an email via the email address supplied to verify your contact details and support for this e-Petition. NOTE: e-Petition confirmation emails may automatically be treated as spam or junk mail by some email providers.
- Your initials and suburb will be published as a signatory next to the e-Petition signed (for example, GB Mundingburra).
- Please contact Customer Service on 13 48 10 if you are experiencing any difficulties.
As a person signing an e-Petition, your initials and suburb will be published on Council’s e-Petition website and your personal details may be disclosed after a petition is accepted when the petition is presented to the ordinary meeting of Council.
Council's e-Petition website will not allow you to sign a petition twice. It is fraudulent to represent yourself as someone else, whether that be as any other real or imaginary person.
e-Petition closure
When the e-Petition closes, it is removed from the 'current e-Petitions' section and stored under 'Expired e-Petitions'.
e-Petitioners' personal information
Council understands that visitors and users of the e-Petitions website are concerned about their privacy, and the level of confidentiality and security provided by Council.
Council is committed to protecting user privacy. Council, however, does require certain personal information of e-Petition signatories as mandatory information. This information is a means of verifying the person and their eligibility to sign the e-Petition.
When a petition is submitted to an ordinary meeting of Council, all information, including personal information may be disclosed publicly. Council may also contact individuals identified in a petition in relation to the petition matter.
The personal details of e-Petition signatories cannot be seen on the website, other than initials and suburb listed under 'signatures'.
Documents
Download a copy of the e-Petitions How To Guide.
When a petition is lodged
A petition to Townsville City Council will be presented by the Mayor or relevant Councillor at the Ordinary Meeting of Council.
Upon receipt of the petition, the principal petitioner will be sent an acknowledgement letter within five business days.
In accordance with Council's standing orders, the Mayor or relevant Councillor may receive the petition and refer it to the Chief Executive Officer for investigation. A report will be developed and presented to Council for final decision.
When a decision is made
The Principal Petitioner will be informed in writing of Council's decision following the relevant Ordinary Meeting.
e-Petition Terms of Use
This e-Petition website is operated by Townsville City Council.
The personal details provided on the Townsville City Council ePetition website by both the principal petitioner and persons signing a petition, forms part of the public record. The service is not anonymous and the accuracy of personal details will be checked if necessary.
Terms of Use
In the 'terms of use' the words 'we', 'us' and 'our' refer to Townsville City Council and the words 'you' and 'your' refer to the person using this website. Those who access or use this website are deemed to have accepted the 'terms of use'.
The 'terms of use' include these 'terms and conditions' along with Council’s website terms of use.
These 'terms and conditions' apply, in addition to any 'other terms', to a part or page of this website. However, if the 'other terms' are inconsistent with these 'terms and conditions', the former will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
e-Petition participation
By participating in an e-Petition, you accept the following statements to be true:
- You have a legitimate interest in the matter being raised.
- You have not previously recorded your support to this particular e-Petition.
- You are representing personal interests. Otherwise, you are registering someone's interest because they are physically incapable of entering their own details. They have given you express permission to do so, and that permission was not revoked at the time of registering interest.
- You have entered your correct details. Otherwise, you entered the correct details of someone whose interest you hold permission to represent. You accept that it is fraudulent to represent yourself as someone else, whether that be a real or imaginary person.
The e-Petition and your decision to support the issue will form part of a document that Council receives. You should note:
- The document is likely to become a public record.
- Your e-Petition support will be specifically identified in the document.
- On this website, it is not possible to participate in an e-Petition as an anonymous person.
For e-Petition purposes, your personal details are provided to Council. At its discretion, Council may contact you about the e-Petition matter.
Within this website your initials and suburb will be automatically added to the e-Petition (for example, GB Alderley).
For further information, please contact Council Customer Service on 13 48 10.
