Petitions

Start a petition

Starting a petition lets your voice be heard in Parliament.

Who can start a petition?

Any Victorian resident. This includes people under the age of 18.

General rules for petitions

All petitions, whether paper or electronic, must include:

  • a grievance – this is a summary of the problem
  • an action – what you want the Parliament to do to fix the problem

The problem must be one which the Victorian Parliament has authority to deal with. This includes state issues in areas such as roads, public transport, police and gaming.

The wording of the petition must be respectful and not use offensive language.

Addressing your petition

All petitions must be addressed to either the Council or the Assembly. You must make this decision before you can start your petition.

The following questions may help you to decide:

  • Who will your sponsor member be? Members can only sponsor petitions addressed to the chamber of which they are a member.
  • Does your petition ask for a distinct grant of public money to be paid to an individual? The Council will not accept petitions which make this request.

You can start two petitions at the same time, one addressed to the Assembly and one to the Council. However, these will be counted as two separate petitions.

Find a sponsoring member

To be presented in Parliament, all petitions must be sponsored by a member.

Members of the Assembly can only sponsor petitions addressed to the Assembly. Members of the Council can only sponsor petitions addressed to the Council.

You can ask any member of the Victorian Parliament to sponsor your petition. They do not need to be your local member or a member of the government. They also don’t have to agree with your petition.

Note that for e-petitions addressed to the Assembly, your petition will not be published until a member agrees to sponsor it.

 

Find a member

Paper and e-petitions

Both the Council and the Assembly accept petitions in paper and electronic form.  
 
Use the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about starting a paper petition or e-petition.

Steps to starting a paper petition

  1. Choose whether you want to request action from the Assembly or Council.
  2. Draft your petition using the templates linked below.
  3. Promote your petition and collect signatures.
  4. If you have not done so already, find a member to sponsor your petition.
  5. Arrange to give your paper petition to your sponsor member. Do not send your petition to Parliament House. 

Rules and guidelines

  • Signatures must be original and handwritten. Photocopies and scanned signatures are not allowed.
  • Do not attach any other documents to your petition (other than a certified translation if the petition is not in English).
  • If your petition is more than one sheet long, include the issue and action at the top of each page.
  • Wording pasted to a page of signatories is not allowed.

Introduction to e-petitions

All e-petitions presented to the Parliament must be created on the Parliament of Victoria website. Online petitions hosted on sites such as Change.org cannot be accepted. 

The Council and Assembly have different rules and procedures for creating an e-petition. 

Council e-petitions

Before you start, check the e-petitions currently active in the Council. E-petitions about the same issue and requesting the same action cannot be open for signatures at the same time.

Then —

  1. Lodge a request to start an e-petition at the button below.
  2. We will review your request and be in touch.
  3. If your e-petition complies with the rules of the House it will be published.
  4. If you have not already done so, you must find a member to sponsor your e-petition. 
Start a Council e-petition

Assembly e-petitions

Before you start, check the e-petitions currently active in the Assembly. E-petitions about the same issue and requesting the same action cannot be open for signatures at the same time.

Then —

  1. Find a Member of the Assembly to sponsor your e-petition.
  2. Lodge a request to start an e-petition at the button below.
  3. The Clerk will review your request to ensure it conforms with complies with the rules of the House, and confirm that the member has agreed to sponsor your petition. Then the e-petition will be published.
  4. The sponsoring member will nominate a period that the petition will be available to sign on the Parliament’s website. This can be a maximum of six months.
  5. Once your e-petition has been accepted and published, you will receive an email.
Start an Assembly e-petition

Collecting signatures for your petition

You are responsible for raising awareness in the community about your e-petition. We encourage you to promote your e-petition by sharing the link through social media and email.

Contact us for help with petitions

Legislative Assembly

Clerks Office

Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne Vic 3002

03 9651 8554

epetitions.assembly@parliament.vic.gov.au

Legislative Council

Chamber Support Office

Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne Vic 3002

03 9651 8678

epetitions.council@parliament.vic.gov.au