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Paper Petitions

Paper Petitions

​​Create a paper petition

Paper petitions require the petitioner to collect signatures from members of the public on paper and provide them to a Member of the Legislative Assembly to present after the signatures have been collected.

Petitioners can contact any Member to request presentation of their petition. Members' contact details are available on our website.

Before you start a petition, please contact the Legislative Assembly Table Office on (02) 9230 3709​ to make sure it is in order – petitions that don't conform to the Standing and Sessional Orders are 'out of order' and may not be accepted.

In addition to the rules for all petitions, a paper petition must:

  • contain the names and addresses of the petitioners and their own original signatures.
  • be clearly written, typed or printed and not have anything attached to it.
  • be in English, or be accompanied by a translation certified to be correct by the Member lodging the petition.
  • contain at least one signature (every signature must be original hand-writing, and every person signing a petition must write their address after their signature).
  • not be altered in any way from the petition as signed by the petitioners.

 

Sample petition

Your paper petition should have these parts to be in order 

1)     Introduction
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. 
[Petitions must always be addressed to the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly]

2)     The petitioners – who you are 
The petition of ...........................................................
[The petitioners - identify the petitioners, in general terms, e.g. citizens of New South Wales or residents of (name of town, region or electorate)]

3)     The facts
Brings to the attention of the House ...........................................................
[The facts you are bringing to the attention of the Legislative Assembly, sometimes called 'the grievance']

4)     The request
The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to ..........................................
[The petitioner's request outlining the action that the House should, or should not, take – sometimes called 'the prayer']

5)     The signatures
Signatures, Names, Addresses
[Everyone who signs the petition must provide their name and address]