A petition is a request for action.  Petitioning Parliament is a long established right of all citizens. It allows anyone to place concerns before the Parliament. It is one of the few direct means of communication between the people and the Parliament. There is no age limit.

As an example the petition may request a House to introduce a law, or to repeal or amend existing legislation, stop the Government from doing something, or ask the Government to do something.

There are rules that cover how petitions can be set out for the Parliament.

Learn More

If a petition has over 10,000 signatures, it is referred to a Committee to investigate and report back to the Parliament.  The Minister is then required prepare a response and make a statement outlining the action to be taken.

Some examples of petitions that have been considered by a Committee include:

  • 10,366 people requesting the House of Assembly to declare a climate emergency
  • 13,928 people requesting the Legislative Council to urge the Government to review the planning system
  • 11,164 people requesting the House of Assembly to urge the Government to increase funding to schools to support children with additional learning needs
  • 12,705 people requesting the House of Assembly to urge Government to retain the Motor Vehicle Registry
  • 11,606 people requesting the House of Assembly to urge the Government to ensure political independence of the Teachers Registration Board

Did you know?

  • About 130 petitions are presented in each session of Parliament
  • The largest petition in SA had 102,501 signatures. It was presented in the 1999-2000 session of Parliament by the Leader of the Opposition at the time, Hon Mike Rann. Citizens were requesting that the House of Assembly urge the Government to increase prison sentences for persons convicted of robbery with violence of residential property.
  • The most famous petition in SA is the Women’s Suffrage petition of 1894, where over 11,500 South Australians requested that women have the right to vote. It was 101 metres long. You can browse the names of people who signed this petition online.