Petitions - How to lodge
What is a petition?
Petitioning is one of the traditional ways by which members of the community can have their say on issues affecting them within the Mackay region.
A petition is a formal, written request, signed by a minimum of 25 petitioners.
A completed petition which meets Mackay Regional Council’s petition requirements will be presented to council to persuade them to take a particular action.
Petitions rules
Both paper petitions and e-petitions MUST:
- Include the principal petitioner’s details;
- Include the petition topic on each page;
- Be clearly written and include 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 translator must also be included;
- Be brief and to the point;
- Be polite and modest in language;
- Not request a grant or public money or a remission of any duties or debts;
- Not have letters, affidavits or other documents attached;
- Include more than 25 petitioner signatures;
- Relate to a matter which is within council’s jurisdiction; and
- Contain on each page the request, suggestion or grievance and name of the principal petitioner.
NOTE: Only one petition per topic will be accepted (i.e., you cannot have an e-petition and a paper petition on the same topic). Council reserves the right to review all/any submitted petition to ensure compliance and jurisdiction. Any petition not meeting the above rules will not be accepted.
Starting a petition
paper petition
To start a paper petition you may use the petition template as a guide.
e-petitions
Besides the traditional paper petition, an e-petition can be started and signed online via council's e-petition portal.
These petitions enable principal petitioners to:
- Access a broader target audience
- Constantly monitor the number of signatures for an issue
- Easily collate signatures
1. 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, 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).
As a principal petitioner, your name and suburb will be published on council’s e-petition portal website.
2. e-petition closure
- The petition has met council's requirements and the principal petitioner may lodge the e-petition with council at their convenience; or
- The petition has not met council’s requirements and cannot be presented to council.
The e-petition will then be removed from the e-petitions’ portal.
Lodging a petition
The principal petitioner may lodge their petition to council in the following ways:
- In person at the following Client Services Centres:
- 73 Gordon Street, Mackay
- 65 Broad Street, Sarina
- 20 Victoria Street, Mirani
- Email to council@mackay.qld.gov.au
- Post to:
Chief Executive Officer
Mackay Regional Council
PO Box 41
Mackay QLD 4740
Once lodged, the petition will be reviewed to ensure compliance and jurisdiction with an email being provided to the principal petitioner advising that:
a) The petition has met council’s requirements and the date the petition will be presented to council for their consideration; or
b) The petition has not met council’s requirements and will not be presented to council.
Once presented, in accordance with Mackay Regional Council’s Standing Orders, council can either reject or accept the petition.
If accepted, it will be referred to the Chief Executive Officer for investigation following which a report will be developed and presented to council for final decision.
When a decision is made
The principal petitioner will be sent correspondence informing them of council’s determination following the relevant Ordinary Meeting.
e-petition participation
This e-petition website is operated by Mackay Regional Council.
Terms and conditions of use
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.
- You live in the Mackay region.
The e-petition and your decision to support the issue will form part of the document that council receives. You should note:
- The document is likely to become a public record, forming part of the council agenda and minutes.
- 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).
Signing an e-petition
Council’s e-petition portal allows community members (a petitioner) to sign an e-petition online by registering their details in support.
- Petitioners must be living in the Mackay Region to participate in the e-petition.
- 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 portal’s ‘terms and conditions’ via the check box.
- The petitioner will receive an email via the email address supplied to verify their contact details and support for the e-petition.
NOTE: e-petition confirmation emails may automatically be treated as spam or junk mail by some email providers. - The petitioners initials and suburb will be published as a signatory next to the e-petition signed (for example AB Smith).
- Please contact customer service on 1300 622 529 if you are experiencing any difficulties.
As a petitioner signing an e-petition, your initials and suburb will be published on council’s e-petition portal.
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-petitioners' personal information
Council understands that visitors and petitioners of the e-petitions portal 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 the full name, postal and email addresses of petitioners as mandatory information. This information is a means of verifying the petitioner and their eligibility to sign the e-petition.
For e-petition purposes, your personal details are provided to council. At their discretion, council may choose to contact the petitioner in relation to the e-petition matter.
The personal details of petitioners cannot be seen on the portal, other than initials and suburb listed under ‘signatures’. This petition may be made public as part of council’s agenda and minute process.
Definitions
The term principal petitioner shall mean the person that is the owner of the petition or e-petition.
The term petitioner shall mean the person who signs the petition or e-petition.
In the 'terms of use' the words 'we', 'us' and 'our' refer to Mackay Regional 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'.
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.
Privacy disclaimer
Mackay Regional Council collects and manages personal information in the course of performing its activities, functions and duties. We respect the privacy of the personal information held by us. The way in which Mackay Regional Council manages personal information is governed by the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). We are collecting your personal information so that we can register your petition and to correspond with you regarding the process. This petition may be made public as part of council’s agenda and minute process. Generally, we will not disclose your personal information outside of council unless we are required to do so by law, or unless you have given us your consent to such disclosure. For further information about how we manage your personal information please see our Information Privacy Policy.