Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Petitions, I present the committee's report entitled Making voices heard—Inquiry into the e-petitioning system of the House of Representatives Petitions Committee, together with minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Today, I present the report for the inquiry into the e-petitioning system of the House of Representatives Petitions Committee entitled Making voices heard. When e-petitioning was introduced to the House at the commencement of the 45th Parliament, the aim was to engage more Australians in the petition process, many of whom were already used to accessing public services online. With over 300 e-petitions certified at the conclusion of the committee's inquiry, it is clear that the House e-petitions system has been successful in engaging Australians in petitioning the House. The committee's inquiry examined what is working well with the e-petitions system and how the system might be improved and enhanced. In doing so, the committee considered the experiences of jurisdictions around Australia and overseas that have also introduced e-petitioning.

Most importantly, the committee heard directly from users of the House e-petitions system and spoke with stakeholders interested in the e-petitioning process. Users generally praised the introduction of the e-petitions system but considered there were some aspects of it that could be improved. Much of the feedback, however, focused on how the system could be made simpler and more accessible for all users.

The committee found it valuable to hear about the experience of e-petitioning in parliaments around Australia and overseas. In particular, the committee extends its thanks to representatives of the parliaments of the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, who took time to speak to the committee in public hearings. We also heard from a very enthusiastic group of year 5 and year 6 students from St Anthony's Catholic Primary School in Marsfield, Sydney. This was a highlight of the inquiry. It was a delight to hear how the students valued petitioning in the House, and it showed how petitioning can be used even by young Australians. The committee drew on their very helpful suggestions for improving the e-petitions system in formulating some of its recommendations to the House.

The committee has proposed initial changes designed to improve the user experience of the e-petitions system and provide greater accessibility for all Australians, within current resources. Some issues raised during the inquiry were relevant to the practice and procedures for petitioning the House more broadly. The committee considers that these issues could be explored in a future inquiry into the role of the House Petitions Committee and the procedural framework of petitioning.

I would like to express my thanks to the Deputy Chair, the member for Richmond, and also to my colleagues on the committee for their ongoing support of petitioning in the House and for their hard work and professionalism. I also acknowledge the previous chair, the member for Bonner, who launched the inquiry on the committee's behalf.

On behalf of the committee, I warmly extend my thanks to the inquiry participants who prepared submissions and who gave their time to the committee. It was important to hear such informed perspectives from a variety of stakeholders, including individuals, school children, organisations and parliaments from other jurisdictions. On behalf of the Petitions Committee, I thank all Australians who have enthusiastically lodged an e-petition or signed an e-petition to the House. I commend the e-petitions process and this report to the House.

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