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Ch17 Documents / PETITIONS / Petitions in the House of Representatives / What must be in a petition



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House of Representatives                                Ch 17                                                 p 613

 

Documents / PETITIONS / Petitions in the House of Representatives

 

What must be in a petition

Standing Order 204 provides that a petition for presentation to the House must:

(a) be addressed to the House of Representatives;

(b) refer to a matter which is within the power of the House of Representatives to act on, that is, a Commonwealth legislative or administrative matter;

(c) state the facts which the petitioners wish to bring to the notice of the House; and

(d) contain a request for the House or the Parliament to take one or more specified actions.

In earlier times the request was referred to as a prayer and the phrase ‘humbly pray’ was commonly used, but there is no requirement for the word ‘pray’ to appear and alternatives such as ‘request’ or ‘ask’ are now usual. If a petition consists of more than one page, the request must appear on every page to which signatures are affixed. If the House has the power to grant the request of a petition, the absurdity of the request is no objection, in itself, to the receiving of the petition. 1



May , 23rd edn, p. 936. A petition may be received even if the matter complained of has passed, E.g. VP 1993-95/1790.