House of Representatives Committees

| House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions

Footnotes

Chapter 1 Introduction

[1] ‘The right of petitioning Parliament remains a fundamental right of the citizen. It is the only means by which the individual can directly place grievances before the Parliament.’, Harris, IC, ed, House of Representatives Practice, 5ed, 2005, p. 612.

[2] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, pp. 1, 3. Petitions are requests to take action. In this case, they are requests made directly to the House of Representatives to take specific action on a grievance and they include the reasons for petitioning the House.

[3] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, pp. 4–5.

[4] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, p. 7.

[5] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, pp. xi-xii, 15–19.

[6] Media release by the Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, Leader of the House, dated 11 January 2008.

[7] See Appendix B to this Report for the text of the current relevant Standing and Sessional Orders.

[8] These arrangements were varied by a Sessional Order in June 2008, enabling petitions to be presented either by the Chair of the Petitions Committee during a regular petitions timeslot on Monday evenings, or by a Member, as previously. Later in 2008, the Sessional Order was put in place for the life of the 42^nd Parliament, Votes and Proceedings, No. 66, 1 December 2008, p. 756.

[9] Votes and Proceedings, No. 5, 12 February 2008, p. l94 and No. 9, 11 March 2008, p. 133.

[10] The Department’s submission and the transcript of evidence taken on 17 March 2010 are available online at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/committeework/index.htm

viewed 4 June 2010.

[11] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions, Electronic petitioning to the House of Representatives, 2009. The Procedure Committee had originally recommended that the House take petitions electronically and the issue was taken up by the Petitions Committee in its first long-term inquiry. The report is available online at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/epetitioning/report.htm

viewed 4 June 2010.

Role and operations of the Standing Committee on Petitions

[1] Votes and Proceedings No. 1, 12 February 2008, pp. 11–26. Chapter 3 traces the provisions of and changes to the Standing Orders.

[2] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, p. 39.

[3] This matter is mentioned by the Committee Chair at round table meetings and in Monday evening statements.

[4] See, for example, comments by the Chair, HR Debates (7.9.2009) 8747.

[5] House of Representatives, Standing and Sessional Orders as at 1 December 2008, Standing Orders 204–209.

[6] House of Representatives, Standing and Sessional Orders as at 1 December 2008, Sessional Order 209 (c).

[7] Statistics provided by the Chamber Research Office.

[8] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 8. See also p. 3 of the submission.

[9] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure, Making a difference: petitioning the House of Representatives, 2007, p. 31. The Committee’s web page is available at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/index.htm, viewed 7 June 2010.

[10] The Committee’s webpage is at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/index.htm and general information on preparation of petitions is available at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/work/petitions.htm.

[11] Figures provided by the Chamber Research Office. See also the submission by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, at p. 4.

[12] The Committee’s web page is available at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/petitions/index.htm, viewed 7 June 2010. Mr McAveety also contributed to the Petitions Committee inquiry into electronic petitioning.

[13] Sessional Order 207 (a), in place for the remainder of the 42^nd Parliament.

[14] The report is available online at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/epetitioning/report.htm, viewed 4 June 2010.

[15] Appendix C to this report comprises an outline of the dates, venues and subjects of round table meetings conducted by the Committee. Transcripts of all round table meetings that were in the form of public hearings can be viewed at the Committee’s web page http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/petitions/round tables.htm, viewed 16 June 2010.

[16] The transcript of this meeting can be viewed at the Committee’s web page http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/commttee/R12891.pdf, viewed 7 June 2010.

[17] Electronic Petitioning to the House of Representatives, 2009, p. 70. At p. 79 of that report the Committee outlined what it expected would be the work-flow for electronic petitions.

[18] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 7.

Chapter 3 Effectiveness of the Standing Orders as they relate to petitions - Action on petitions: Standing Order 208 and Sessional Order 209

[1] Sessional Order 34, Figure 2, sets out the order of business to be followed in the House. In June 2008 it was amended from the earlier Standing Order, along with Standing Order 207, to enable presentation of petitions and reports by the Committee Chair, and the presentation of statements and reports on petitions by the Chair and another Committee member in a timeslot on Monday evenings from 8.30 to 8.40 p.m. in the House: Votes and Proceedings, No. 32, 24 June 2008, p. 421.

[2] The text of the current provisions is at Appendix B of this report. The revisions to Standing Orders were originally put in place at the beginning of the 42^nd Parliament, Votes and Proceedings, No. 1, 12 February 2008, pp. 11–26. Standing Orders 207 and 208 were amended on 12 March 2008: Votes and Proceedings, No. 10, 12 March 2008, p. 148; Sessional Orders 34, 207 and 209 were put in place in June 2008: Votes and Proceedings, No. 32, 24 June 2008, pp. 421–2. Later in 2008, these Sessional Orders were put in place for the remainder of the 42^nd Parliament: Votes and Proceedings No. 66, 1 December 2008, pp. 756–7.

[3] Appendixes B (history); D (previous inquiries); and E (comparative table of Standing Orders).

[4] See Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 5, and comments by the Clerk and Clerk Assistant (Table) in Transcript of Evidence, 17 March 2010, pp. 4–5.

[5] Mr B Wright, Clerk of the House of Representatives, Transcript of Evidence, 17 March 2010, p. 3.

[6] See the comments by the Committee Chair, HR Debates (7.9.2009) 8747.

[7] Standing Order 209 (c) in the Standing and Sessional Orders as at 29 March 2006. This opportunity appears to have existed—but not been used— throughout the life of the House.

[8] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 6. Standing Order 63 enables the House or Main Committee to grant leave to a Member to act in a manner not provided for but leave may be granted only if no Member present objects.

[9] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 6.

[10] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 6.

[11] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions, Electronic Petitioning to the House of Representatives, 2009, pp. 70–71.

[12] In place now for the remainder of the 42^nd Parliament; Votes and Proceedings, No. 32, 24 June 2008, pp. 421–422; Votes and Proceedings, No. 66, 1 December 2008, p. 756.

[13] House of Representatives Standing Committee on Petitions, Electronic Petitioning to the House of Representatives, 2009, p. 70.

[14] Standing Order 220 (a).

[15] These Standing Orders are available online at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/pubs/standos/pdf/chapter16.pdf viewed 4 June 2010.

[16] Dr Mark Zirnsak, Transcript of Evidence, 28 April 2010, p. 45.

[17] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 2.

[18] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 8.

[19] Clerk of the House of Representatives, Submission No. 1, p. 8.

Appendix B: Standing and Sessional Orders[1]

[1] House of Representatives Standing and Sessional Orders, as at 1 December 2008.

[2] House of Representatives Standing and Sessional Orders and the history of amendments are available online at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/pubs/standos/index.htm, viewed 4 June 2010.