Petitions to be opened for debate

PETITIONS to the House of Representatives with over 20,000 signatures would be debated by the House under recommendations made by the House Petitions Committee.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP said the recommendation threshold is based on a similar system in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, which has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public.

"In the UK, the Petitions Committee can schedule a debate on a petition in Westminster Hall, if it reaches over 100,000 signatures," Mrs Wicks said.

"Our Committee proposes using similar criteria to the UK in selecting petitions for debate, once they have gathered over 20,000 signatures."

The report makes a number of other recommendations around simplifying the process of petitioning the Parliament, and educating the public about how to lodge or sign a petition.

"We hope these changes will encourage more Australians to engage with petitioning the House, which is the most direct way of having your matter heard by the Parliament," Mrs Wicks said.

The full report is available on the inquiry webpage.

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