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 doesn't compel the Parliament to take action.
How can I petition the Legislative Assembly?
There are two ways to petition the Legislative Assembly:
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ePetitions
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Paper petitions.
Petitioning the Legislative Assembly
Petition Requirements
| What happens after a petition is tabled?
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All petitions must: -
be addressed to 'the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly'.
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set out the facts which the petitioners are bringing to the attention of the Legislative Assembly (also called 'the grievance')
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Have a clear REQUEST: The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to ........................................
[The petitioner's request outlining the action that the House should, or should not, take – called 'the prayer'] be respectful, decorous and temperate in language. -
be presented by a Member of the Legislative Assembly on behalf of the petitioners. It does not have to be your local Member. The Member does not have to agree with or support the petition to present it - and the Member does not have to agree to present the petition.
Petitions must not: -
make reference to any debate in Parliament.
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have letters, affidavits or other documents attached.
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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.
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The Clerk will announce receipt of petitions to the House after Question Time. Petitions with more than 10,000 signatures (or 20,000 in the case of ePetitions) will be announced by the Speaker.
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The subject matter of the petition and the Member who lodged it will be published in the Votes and Proceedings and the terms of each petition will be printed in Hansard.
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A copy of every petition received is forwarded to the Minister responsible for the subject contained in the petition.
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Ministers are required to lodge, with the Clerk, a response to a petition signed by 500 or more persons. The response must be received within 35 calendar days from the date a petition is received. The response is also reported in the House and published in the Votes and Proceedings and Hansard.
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Petitions of more than 10,000 signatures (or 20,000 for ePetitions) will be scheduled for debate in the House.
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Dates for petition debates are published on the Parliament's website and in the Business Paper.
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