Facebook Live, online petitions proposed for SA Parliament by new Speaker Vincent Tarzia

QUESTION Time could be broadcast live via Facebook and voters would be able to lobby MPs through online petitions under changes being considered by the incoming Speaker of Parliament.

• Tarzia marked for elevation after defeating Xenophon

QUESTION Time could be broadcast live via Facebook and voters could lobby MPs through online petitions under changes the incoming Speaker of Parliament is considering.

At 31, Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia is set to be sworn in as the state’s youngest Speaker when Parliament resumes on May 3.

Former Labor Speaker Jack Snelling was the youngest to take on the role previously, aged 33 when he was appointed in 2006.

Mr Tarzia told The Advertiser he wanted to “modernise” the Parliament and make it “more appealing to a high-tech generation”.

“There are so many great opportunities for the Parliament to become more widely accessible to the public as technology progresses,” he said.

In particular, Mr Tarzia wants to introduce an electronic petitioning system based on a model used by the Victorian Parliament since early last year.

New Speaker of Parliament, Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia in the Lower House chamber. Picture: AAP / Mike Burton

South Australian MPs must table paper petitions, signed by voters, in Parliament ahead of Question Time.

Widely supported past petitions have included pleas to keep the Repatriation General Hospital open, cancel plans to build a desalination plant at Port Stanvac and prevent mining in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary.

The Federal Parliament has allowed electronic petitions since 2016, enabling people to submit a request directly rather than requiring an MP to submit on their behalf.

Members of the public can create a petition online or support existing petitions displayed on the Parliament’s website.

“A lot of young people are using petitions online, on websites such as Change.org, but they’re not really using the ancient system of personally signing the ones that are submitted to our Parliament,” Mr Tarzia said.

“In a time where the growing preferred method of communication is texting and emailing, I firmly believe making e-petitions available would improve the ability of individuals and groups to raise awareness on issues important to them.

“It makes it easier for people of all ages to better engage (with lawmakers).”

Question Time at Parliament House could be livestreamed on Facebook under Mr Tarzia’s plan. Picture: Mike Burton

Mr Tarzia also will “investigate the live streaming of Question Time on Facebook”.

Scotland’s Parliament has used Facebook Live to broadcast a parliamentary committee while members of the US Congress used live-stream video app Periscope and Facebook Live to broadcast their protest over gun control.

In contrast, an Indian politician was suspended from the state Assembly for three days for live streaming proceedings on Facebook.

Since September last year, South Australian parliamentary proceedings have been broadcast via video on the SA Parliament website but it attracts relatively low traffic numbers.

Before then, visitors to the site could only listen to audio of the debate.

Mr Tarzia said he would like to set up an official SA Parliament Facebook page.

The Facebook Live video function could be used to capture proceedings, or the current parliamentary footage could be streamed via Facebook.

The Federal House of Representatives operates a Facebook page which incorporates official video streams from proceedings in Canberra.