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

As Chair of the Petitions Committee, in my last statement I discussed the role and origins of the Petitions Committee. Today, I will discuss the petitions that are considered by the Petitions Committee but, for one reason or another, are not able to be presented in the House. As you know, House standing order 204 sets out rules for the form and content of petitions. Unfortunately, not all petitions meet these requirements, and as a result some cannot be presented in the House as petitions. An important part of the committee's role is to examine petitions and certify they meet the rules for petitioning the House.

When a petition is found not to meet the requirements, it does not receive the same treatment as a petition that is found to be in order. These non-compliant petitions are not presented in the House as petitions and they are not referred to the responsible minister. This in turn means that these petitions may not be brought to the attention of the relevant decision makers and that the petitioners are unlikely to receive a ministerial response to their request.

One of the most common mistakes petitioners make relates to the way the petition is addressed. Standing order 204(a) requires petitions to be addressed to the House. Accordingly, petitions should not be addressed to a member, minister or to the Australian government more generally. The traditional and most common form of words for the address is: 'To the honourable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives'.

Similarly, standing order 204(a) requires that petitions make a request of the House. The most common form of words preceding requests in petitions is: 'We therefore ask the House to'. Unfortunately, some petitions instead ask the Australian government or a specific minister to take a specific action. In these cases, the petition is deemed non-compliant and cannot be presented as a petition, even if it is addressed to the House correctly.

A number of petitioners make the mistake directing their petition to the wrong legislature. Standing order 204(a) requires that all petitions to the House must be on issues which are the responsibility of the federal government rather than state or local government. The House cannot take actions outside its jurisdiction and I would advise any potential petitioners to check carefully that they are directing their petition to the correct level of government.

Another common mistake petitioners make is sending electronically gathered signatures to the committee for consideration. Standing order 205(b) requires that signatures be handwritten originals, and thus they cannot be electronic, copied, scanned or emailed. A principal petitioner must submit a hard copy with the original handwritten signatures in order to meet this requirement. When drafting their petitions, principal petitioners should also be careful that they are not promoting illegal acts and that the language used in the petition is appropriate.

The Petitions Committee provides a range of materials to help potential petitioners to effectively navigate the requirements for petitions to the House. For example, the committee's web page contains an explanation of the relevant standing orders, a template petition and copies of petitions previously presented in the House. In addition to these resources, the web page contains contact details for the committee secretariat, which can provide advice on draft petitions and the petitions process more generally. A recent addition to the committee web page is a short video on petitioning, in which I discuss the standing order requirements and provide further information on what happens to petitions once they are presented in the House.

In addition to the webpage, the committee provides pamphlets and brochures on petitioning the House. I encourage all potential petitioners to contact their local member, visit the web page or contact the committee secretariat before they commence gathering signatures. This will help to ensure that their petition attracts the full range of benefits that petitioning the House can bring.

As you can see, there are a range of resources available to the Australian public on petitioning the House. The committee works to ensure that as many Australians as possible have access to this information. Petitions are an excellent way for this House and its members to keep informed of the issues affecting the Australian community, and it is in everyone's interests that as many petitions as possible are found to meet requirements, presented in the House and referred to the relevant decision makers for consideration.