PLEASE ADD YOUR FULL NAME AND STREET ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS FIELD.

Emailed to governance@whitehorse.vic.gov.au.
Delivered to the Civic Centre at 399 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading.

Petition to Whitehorse City Council

To the Mayor and Councillors of Whitehorse City Council,

We, the undersigned residents of Victoria, respectfully request the Council to immediately reverse its recent decision to lock open the perimeter gates at Morton Park, Blackburn. This decision, implemented without prior community consultation, directly compromises the safety, accessibility, and daily enjoyment of hundreds of regular park users, including dog owners and families.

Morton Park is a vital community hub, providing a secure and enclosed environment essential for safely exercising our dogs and supervising children. The unilateral decision to lock gates in an open position creates significant safety risks, particularly due to direct access to Central Road and the adjacent car park.

We request the Whitehorse City Council to:

Immediately reinstate the gates at Morton Park to their default closed position to ensure the continued safety of all park users.
Conduct a formal, transparent, and inclusive community consultation process involving park users, including dog owners, families, and sports groups, before making any further changes.
As a community, we value our connections, our safety, and the shared enjoyment of Morton Park. We believe Council decisions should be reflective of community needs and made in consultation with those directly impacted.

Thank you for addressing this urgent matter and for respecting the collective voice of your constituents.

[Please sign below with your full name and street address. Each signatory must be a Victorian resident.]

Full Name: ________________________ Street Address: ________________________ Signature: ________________________

[Petition text to be repeated on every additional signature page.]

As a dedicated member of the Morton Park dog community in Whitehorse, I, like many others, have formed precious relationships and friendships within this space. It is a sanctuary where we, as dog owners, meet, share our stories, lives, joys, and heartaches. It is a community where we extend help and protection to each other. 

However, the recent decision by the Whitehorse Council to lock open perimeter gates at Morton Park has shaken our community. This decision--made without consultation--compromises not only our ease of access, but more significantly, our safety within this beloved space.

We believe that such crucial decisions should be made in collaboration with those who engage most intimately with the park - its regular users. We represent a collective voice of dog owners and families using Morton Park and thus, we demand our concerns to be heard and respected.

We, therefore, implore the Whitehorse Council to reconsider the decision and unlock the open perimeter gates at Morton Park. Our community deserves to continue experiencing the comfort, safety, and camaraderie that the park has offered us for years.

Make your voice heard and support our cause.
Sign this petition.