Petition Effectiveness: Improving Citizens' Direct Access to Parliament

Petitions have historically been regarded as an avenue by which citizens can have their voices heard on the floor of the chamber. The extent to which petitions are effective in this regard however has been contested. While petitions have great democratic potential, they might be considered more effective in strengthening community views on an issue than in actually having that issue heard and considered by parliament. In recent years, a number of parliaments both in Australia and overseas have sought to improve the petitioning process. Various models have been developed and adopted. The paper places these models along a �parliament�government� scale of action, highlighting different marks of emphasis in addressing the question of petition effectiveness.