A petition is a direct request to the Parliament, asking that it take some type of action. For example, a petition might request that the House change legislation relating to a particular health issue, or support changes to a system of roads. The subject of a petition must be a matter on which the House has the power to act – that is, it must be a State matter, and one involving legislation or government administration.
Signing a petition is an important way for citizens and groups to make their concerns known to Parliament, to become involved in the legislative process, and to inform decisions. While many petitions received by the Parliament relate to issues with broader community impact, a petition from an individual may address a personal grievance such as the correction of an administrative error.
Petitions are presented by members to the Parliament on most sitting days. They can be presented to either House (the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council).
For details on preparing a petition, view the guidelines and further information in the links below.
In deciding whether to direct your petition to the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council, consider that you'll need to identify a member of that House to present your petition – ideally a member you believe is aligned with the issue the petition is about. There are also small differences in how the Houses deal with petitions, which you can read about in the links below.
Petitioning the Legislative Assembly
Petitioning the Legislative Council
