Petitions allow members of the public to directly place their issues before the Parliament. A petition helps raise awareness of an issue in the community and lets Members of Parliament know what action the community wants the Parliament to take, but it does not compel the Parliament to take action.
The Legislative Assembly accepts both paper petitions (where petitioners physically sign a petition) and ePetitions (where petitioners electronically sign a petition).
Common requirements for petitions
How you create a petition will depend on whether you wish to create an ePetition or a paper petition. The links above will give you specific details about each of these options. However, there are some common requirements to be mindful of.
All petitions must:
- use respectful language;
- be addressed to 'the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly';
- set out the facts which the petitioners are bringing to the attention of the Legislative Assembly (also called 'the grievance');
- include a clear request:
The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to ........................................ [insert petitioner's request outlining the action that the House should, or should not, take – called 'the prayer'].
be presented by a Member of the Legislative Assembly on behalf of the petitioners. It does not have to be your local Member. A Member presenting a petition must not sign the petition as a petitioner.
While anyone can ask a Member to present a petition, the Member asked does not have to agree to do so. Similarly a Member may agree to present a petition from local constituents even though they may not necessarily agree with or support the request of the petition.
Petitions must not:
- make refererence to any debate in Parliament;
- have letters, affidavits or other documents attached;
- be signed (as a petitioner) by the Member presenting the petition.
The full rules and process for ePetitions and paper petitions are contained in the Legislative Assembly's Standing and Sessional Orders.
What happens after a petition is tabled?
- Receipt of the petition is announced in the House, recorded in the Votes and Proceedings and published Hansard. This will occur on the next available sitting day.
- The petition is forwarded to the Minister responsible for the subject contained in the petition.
- If a petition has been signed by 500 or more people, Ministers are required to provide a response to the Clerk. The response must be received within 35 calendar days from the date a petition is announced in the House. Receipt of the response is also reported in the House and published in the Votes and Proceedings and Hansard.
- Paper petitions signed by 10,000 or more people and ePetitions signed by 20,000 or more people will be scheduled for debate in the House. Petitions debates are usually scheduled for a Thursday sitting day, and the date is published in the Business Paper.
Need help drafting a petition?
Find a Member
Nominate a Member of the Legislative Assembly to present the petition on behalf of the petitioners.
