Binding citizen initiated referenda for council areas

Eligibility - Queensland residents
Principal Petitioner:
Tony Magrathea
62B Cooroora Street
DICKY BEACH QLD 4551
Total Signatures - 121
Sponsoring Member: The Clerk of the Parliament
Posting Date: 26/6/2018
Closing Date: 4/9/2018
Tabled Date: 5/9/2018
Responded By: Hon Stirling Hinchliffe MP on 4/10/2018
TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

Queensland citizens draws to the attention of the House that local councils have an anachronistic form of election which dates back to the Danes in England. The ward system means voters are limited to their local councillor to ask for assistance. Some councillors are interested in only their own clique of relationships and some ordinary voters feel disenfranchised.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to legislate for the introduction of binding citizen initiated referenda similar to referenda available in California, Switzerland and New Zealand. Ten per cent of voters in a council area would have to sign something similar to the e-petitions in the Legislative Assembly before a binding referendum is put to the people. All referenda would be conducted on a set date. Referenda not reaching the 10 per cent would be ignored.