Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In addition to its primary role of considering petitions submitted to the House, from time to time the Petitions Committee holds public hearings with principal petitioners and representatives of government departments to discuss petitions and ministerial responses. These hearings are an excellent opportunity for petitioners to expand on the terms of the petitions—which are limited by standing orders to 250 words—and to share their experiences of the petitions process. In cases where a ministerial response has been received, government representatives can also elaborate on the response. As public hearings, people in the local area can attend these sessions and learn more about the petitions subject matter and the petitions process. The transcript is also subsequently made publically available on the committee’s website.

However, this is not to say that the committee is taking on an advocacy role on the subject matter of specific petitions. While there will be certain topics that will resonate with some members of the committee, the committee’s role is to facilitate the presentation of petitions to the House and their referral to ministers. The committee does not investigate details of petitions, grant petitioners’ requests, make recommendations to the government on the topic or advocate for petition outcomes.

As well as being a worthwhile forum for petitioners, the committee also finds public hearings useful. While it is not always possible for ministers to grant the requests made by petitioners, it is always interesting to hear about petitioners’ experiences of the petitions process and their thoughts on the value of the process.

Since my last statement, the committee has held two public hearings on petitions: the first on 29 October in Canberra and the second on 19 November when the committee travelled to Brisbane to hear from a number of petitioners. On 29 October, the committee met with the Assistant Minister for Defence and representatives of the Department of Defence to discuss a petition. At the hearing on 19 November the Committee then heard from the principal petitioner and other former servicemen to discuss this petition. While the request in the petition was not granted as part of the petitions process, the petitioners had the opportunity to have their say in a public forum, and the Australian public now has much more information available to it about both sides of the issue.

At the hearing in Brisbane a range of interesting topics were covered in the petitions, but what I will mention today are some of the themes that emerged when the petitioners commented on their experiences of the petitions process. One clear theme that emerged from the hearing was the fact that petitions allow ordinary citizens to have their say. For example, one petitioner told the committee that petitions give ordinary citizens an avenue through which they can address any level of government and that this is one of the key strengths of the petitions system.

Another theme which emerged was the sense of empowerment that citizens can feel as a result of organising or signing a petition. One petitioner told the committee that his organisation sent copies of a petition to churches around Australia, and that these churches encouraged parishioners to sign. He explained that, because many of them were pensioners or on fixed incomes, their ability to provide direct, financial assistance to causes they support is very limited. However, by signing a petition requesting the House take action, these parishioners felt empowered by doing something to show their support for the cause.

The committee also received similar evidence from another petitioner, who has been actively campaigning for a long time. It was very interesting for the committee to hear about their efforts in petitioning the House as one of many avenues of advocacy undertaken on their issue. This petitioner told the committee that their petition helped signatories find a collective voice and then draw that voice to the attention of the House. Furthermore, their petition had received a response from the responsible minister in which the minister stated their intention to hold a roundtable discussion on the issues raised in the petition. At the hearing, the petitioner told the committee that the government's roundtable brought together a range of activists and helped them to coordinate their efforts. As a result, these activists established a network for keeping abreast of developments, and this network has commenced making a documentary to complement their other forms of activism.

At the hearing on 19 October, the assistant minister also commented positively on the petitions process and the committee's ability to hold hearings, noting that it was an excellent example of democracy in action.

As you can see, Madam Speaker, the ability to petition the House is an important part of the political landscape in Australia. The dedication of the petitioners at the hearing has impressed the committee. It was very encouraging to see the passion and commitment they brought to their work. On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank everyone who has engaged with the House petitions process and to encourage Australians to learn about how they can use this process to express their views and seek change on issues important to them.

The committee looks forward to opportunities to meet with other principal petitioners, in different regions of Australia, in the future. Thank you.