
Make sure you read the general information on petitions before referring to the following frequently asked questions.
Please note: Legislative Assembly e-petitions cannot be started or signed at this time. Legislative Council paper petitions and e-petitions, and Legislative Assembly paper petitions, can still be started and signed.
Signing a petition
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Who can sign a petition?
Any resident of Victoria can sign a petition. This includes people under 18 years of age.
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Can I sign a petition on behalf of another person?
No, unless that person is incapable of signing for themselves. Then, you may sign on their behalf only if you have that person’s consent.
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If I started the petition, can I still sign it?
Yes.
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Can I sign a petition more than once?
No.
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I am trying to sign an e-petition, but my address is not accepted. What can I do?
Only Victorian residential addresses can be accepted for an e-petition. PO Box addresses are not accepted.
If the website is not able to correctly identify your address, please troubleshoot by:
- updating your browser to the latest version
- ensuring your browser location settings are enabled
- entering your address as it appears in Google Maps for example: Street Number, Street Name, Suburb, State.
Starting a petition
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Who can start a petition?
Any resident of Victoria can start a petition. This includes people under 18 years of age.
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Can my petition be in a language other than English?
Yes.
For paper petitions, please attach a certified English translation.
To start a Legislative Council e-petition in a language other than English, email epetitions.council@parliament.vic.gov.au or call (03) 9651 8678.
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When creating an e-petition, my address is not accepted. What can I do?
We can only accept Victorian autocompleted addresses. PO Box addresses cannot be accepted.
If the website is not able to correctly identify your address, please try the following:
- update your browser to the latest version
- ensure your browser location settings are enabled
- enter your address as it appears in Google Maps, for example: Street Number, Street Name, Suburb, State.
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I submitted an e-petition but it’s not on the website. Where is it?
The Clerks or their offices review e-petitions to ensure they comply with Standing and Sessional Orders, which are the rules of the Legislative Council.
Once approved, the e-petition will go live on the website and you will be notified via email.
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Can I start a paper petition and e-petition on the same topic at the same time?
Yes.
In the Council, they will be treated as the same petition and the signatures will be tallied together if they are tabled on the same day by a member.
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After a petition closes or is tabled can I start a new petition with the same wording?
Yes.
Collecting signatures for your petition
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Will the Parliament promote my petition?
No. It is your responsibility to raise awareness about your petition and collect signatures.
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What is the minimum number of signatures required for a petition to be tabled?
A petition must have at least one signature.
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I have an e-petition on another website, can I upload these signatures?
No. The Council can only accept e-petitions started on the Parliament of Victoria website. Signatures collected from other websites such as Change.org cannot be accepted.
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What does it mean when my e-petition is closed?
Your e-petition can no longer be signed after it is closed. However, it can be viewed on the Parliament website.
For the Council, a sponsored e-petition can be viewed on the Parliament website until the Parliament dissolves and a general election is held. However, if an e-petition closes without being sponsored by a member, it will remain on the Parliament website for only 12 months after closing. After that, we will remove all record of the e-petition, including personal information. We will not retain this information.
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Can the closing date of an e-petition be changed?
In the Council, the person who started the petition can apply to change the closing date. The request must be made by emailing epetitions.council@parliament.vic.gov.au.
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What happens when my petition is tabled?
After closing, your petition will be tabled. This means that your petition:
- is officially recorded by the Parliament
- becomes part of the public record, including the details of everyone who has signed.
A copy of your petition will be sent to the relevant minister.
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Once a petition is tabled, can I keep collecting signatures?
For the Council, yes. Once your petition is tabled, the signature count will be recorded, and a new count started for the new signatories to your petition. Your petition will need to be closed to signatures for a period before it is tabled, while Council staff prepare it for the house. This is called progressive publishing. Contact us on epetitions.council@parliament.vic.gov.au or (03) 9651 8678 for more information.
For the Assembly, no. A petition closes once it is tabled. You may start a new petition with the same wording and actions.
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How does the 2022 election affect the closing date of my e-petition?
There are no more sitting days scheduled for the current Parliament. This means all Legislative Assembly e-petitions are now closed. Legislative Council e-petitions may continue throughout the election period.
Privacy and publication
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Will my personal details be published?
The personal details of those signing a petition will not be published online. However, all petitions – both electronic and paper – may be viewed in full, including names and addresses of signatories, after they have been tabled in the Parliament.
The email address of the principal petitioner will be published as the contact for the e-petition.
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Can I take my signature off an e-petition?
You may request to have your name removed from an e-petition before it closes. We cannot remove names once a petition has closed.
For Legislative Council e-petitions, contact us on epetitions.council@parliament.vic.gov.au or (03) 9651 8678.
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What is the privacy policy?
Download terms and conditions and privacy policy
Still have questions?
For Legislative Council petitions, contact us on (03) 9651 8678.
For Legislative Assembly petitions, contact us on (03) 9651 8555.