NSW Labor

The right of citizens to petition Parliament and the Government is an effective way of showing support for an issue, or opposing it. Community groups across the country use Petitions as an integral feature of representing their views. The problem in the past has been that petitioners have not been able to directly take their concerns to Parliament, instead having to go through the sponsorship of their local MP or a Senator, and many Petitions have simply gathered dust.

The past Federal Government received over 900 petitions during its term, and responded to only two of them.

Democracy is at the heart of all Labor values and campaigns. For this reason Kevin Rudd has created the innovative Petitions Committee in Federal Parliament. This innovative Committee will ensure the voice of every Australian is heard. It will be a Standing Committee with six Government and four non-Government members of the House of Representatives, whose job it will be to receive Petitions from the public, consider action based on them, and report back to their sponsor. Instead of having to go through an MP or Senator, any Australian citizen will now be able to present Petitions directly to Parliament itself.

This is a huge win for democracy and the people of Australia.