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Crowds at the Walk Against Warming in Sydney, 2006, urge the Howard government to take action against climate change.
Enlarge imageVoting power
Before an election, review all candidates’ policies and evaluate their green credentials. You can even write to ask them what position they will take on an issue and /or suggest changes to their policies. Let them know why you will (or won't) be voting for them.
Don't be intimidated; one letter can represent 100 votes to a politician.
Pressure your local parliamentarian
Your local member of parliament, or MP, is elected to parliament by the voters of your electoral district. All Australians have a federal and state or territory representative. Your local MP has obligations to represent concerns of your electorate in parliament. They may help you contact government departments or engage on issues in the local community on your behalf.
Contact your MP if you want to:
- raise an important local issue and encourage your MP to take a strong stand, such as a toxic industry in your electorate.
- communicate your concerns about an upcoming parliamentary debate on, for example, selling uranium to China.
- start a debate about an issue and push for public consultation.
Know your stuff
Pressuring your MP effectively requires careful thought, preparation and follow-up. Meeting them in person demonstrates that you feel strongly about an issue. It's also a good way to monitor your politician’s attitude on an issue.
Before you meet with any politician, it's useful to find out as much as you can about them, especially in relation to your issue. Most parliamentarians have their own websites where you can check press releases. You can also read speeches they may have made in parliament, by checking the parliamentary record, called Hansard.
Hansard for the federal parliament is at the Australian government website. Each state parliament website also has a link to the Hansard for that state or territory.
Petitions
Any member of parliament can table a petition in the House of Representative on your behalf, and your local MP is obliged to do so. Petitions tabled in the House always get forward to the relevant minister. Find out how to format a parliamentary petition at the Australian government website.
Contacting your local parliamentarian
When you email or write to your MP, always include your address to remind them you do live in their electorate. MPs are very aware of how important local issues are.
When writing letters or emails:
- Present a clear and reasonable argument
- Provide evidence of local support for your issue (like a signed petition)
- Include relevant newspaper clippings or a briefing paper on the issue
- Ask your MP to take action or request a meeting with them
- Ask for a response to your letter
Find out how to ring or email your politician.
Meeting your MP
Once you've written to your MP requesting a meeting, phone to make an appointment. Local MPs set days aside for electorate issues. Be aware that they will be busy when parliament is sitting.
If you have trouble getting a meeting, it could be because your issue has already gathered some political weight and your local MP has too many requests to discuss it. Or they may have other ministerial or parliamentary responsibilities that leave less time to meet with constituents.
Polite persistence is usually the best strategy.
If you're going to the meeting as a group, ensure:
- you all have a good understanding of the issue
- you have nominated spokespeople for each topic
- one person is responsible for taking notes during the meeting
- you have a copy of supporting materials
- you have a clear ask for your MP. You may ask them to table a petition, write a letter to a minister, consider a local issue or contact a government department.
- you dress appropriately (that is, look respectable). Your MP is judging the whole package, not just what you say!
Before you leave the meeting, try to get a clear commitment of help from your MP. Don't settle for vague promises.
The follow-up
After the meeting, write to thank the MP for meeting with you and outline what you discussed. In particular, don’t let them forget any promises they made!
Helpful government links
For contact details, including email, of all members, senators and ministers in the Australian parliament
www.aph.gov.au/whoswho/index.htm
Search for your electorate and your MP
www.aec.gov.au/esearch/main.htm
Links to all federal government departments, as well as state and territory government pages
www.australia.gov.au/
