Find out about ways to have your say about what happens in your community, from Public Question Time at Council meetings, to presenting a petition or filling in an online community feedback form.
Public Question Time
All members of the community have a legislative right to ask questions at Council meetings. Public Question Time provides an opportunity for the public to question Council about issues affecting local government and the community. It also provides Council with the opportunity engage with the community and seek feedback on issues of importance.
Questions asked during Public Question Time must pertain only to business of Council. This includes any matter before Council at the meeting or any issue relating to the Shire.
Here are some important things to remember when you prepare and deliver your question to Council:
- Ensure your question is clear and concise
- Do not phrase your question as a statement or personal opinion
- Ensure your question is not of an offensive nature to any member of the public, the Council or employee of the Shire.
A maximum of 30 minutes will be allowed for Public Question Time. To ensure everyone is given equal and fair opportunity, questions will be limited to two per person if there are a number of people wishing to ask questions.
The Shire President may nominate a Shire Officer to answer the question and may also determine that any complex questions requiring research be taken on notice and answered in writing.
A summary of each question asked and the response given will be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Responses to questions taken on notice will be included in the agenda of the next ordinary meeting of Council.
If you wish to ask a question, please complete the form below.
If you wish to submit a question on the day of the Council meeting, please email [email protected] or call 9780 5296.
Deputations
A deputation is a presentation by a member of the public regarding an item on the agenda in which the speaker/s has a direct interest. A deputation must be requested in advance of the meeting and approved by the Shire President.
Below are a few things to remember about deputations:
- Email the Council and Governance Administrator your request for deputation as soon as possible (the Standing Orders state that the application needs to be received by the Chief Executive Officer five working days before the meeting, so any request received after this time will be approved only at the discretion of the Shire President)
- Include a concise description of your deputation and to which agenda item it relates
- Each deputation will have maximum of five minutes (this may be extended at the discretion of the Shire President)
- Deputations may not be of an offensive nature and may be terminated if the Presiding Member deems it necessary
- The speaker must be prepared to answer questions from the Council with regards to their presentation.
Complete the form below to request a deputation.
Petition
A petition is a request for action from the community. It informs Council in a public way of the views of a section of the community and serves as a means of placing community concerns before Council.
The subject of a petition must be a matter on which Council has the power to act, i.e. a matter that can be dealt with by the local government. For example, a petition requesting improvements to the power supply cannot be presented to Council, as this is a State Government responsibility.
The Shire will only accept petitions from electors of the district. An elector is a person who owns or occupies rateable property within the Shire and is eligible to vote in local and State elections.
A petition received by a member or the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is to be presented to the next ordinary Council meeting.
How to set out a petition
Petitions should be presented as follows:
To the President and Councillors of the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, the undersigned, do respectfully request that the Council [set out a concise statement of facts and the action sought].
Correspondence in respect of this petition should be addressed to [insert name and address of the person who has initiated the petition].
The name and addresses of your petitioners are as follows:
| Date | Full name | Address | Agree/ Disagree / No opinion | Signature |
|---|
For more information, refer to the local law below.
Withdrawal from or change to petition
Petitioners may contact the CEO if they wish to withdraw from this petition or change their comment.
Protection of personal information
The names and signatures of those who signed a petition will be regarded as personal information.
While the minutes of Council meetings are publicly available, only the subject and summary information of any petition tabled will be recorded in a report. Therefore, that part of a petition containing private information may not be provided upon a simple request and would be subject to Freedom Of Information (FOI) assessment.
Other ways to have your say
Your Say – the Shire’s Community Engagement Platform
The Shire's online consultation hub Your Say - Augusta Margaret River, is designed to support our community to shape Augusta Margaret River's future through feedback on issues and specific projects.
Your Say is regularly updated with project information, so be sure to check in regularly and have your say on issues that affect you.
Feedback, compliments and complaints
We appreciate your feedback to improve the way we do business.
You can submit feedback via our online feedback form, or contact our Customer Service Team on 08 9780 5255.
More information and contact
For more information contact the Shire’s Governance Officer on (08) 9780 5205 or email [email protected]