Writing

Who to write too, depends on whether the matter concerns Federal or State/Territory or Local Government responsible for the laws. These tips are for writing to members of Federal Parliament but can be use for state and local Government with little change to them.

The most relevant politicians to contact are:

• Member of House of Representatives:
• Senators:
• Minister or Shadow Minister responsible for the matter:
• Other members of Parliament that have an interest in the topic, eg: members of a relevant Parliamentary Committee.

The most effective way to contact your representative is a face to face meeting, this is not always possible as they are usually very busy and hard to make appointments with.

The next best method is to write a letter, when writing this letter you should include your name and address. The address is important because if you are writing a letter to your elected representative, they will pay more attention to it if you live in their electoral district.

Make certain that you use your representative’s correct title. Minsters or ex-minsters are addressed as “The Hon (firstname surname), MP” or if in the senate “Senator the Hon (firstname surname)” so before sending off the letter check to make sure you have the right title.

The letter should preferably be no longer than one page in length and only contains one issue, keep it brief and concise. Write the letter in your own words and in your own hand writing or typewritten and signed, even if your writing skills are not the greatest, it is better than using a form letter or copying text from other people’s letters as this will be given less weight by the politicians reading them if they have seen the same text in other communiqué.

 In the letter state clearly the topic and include a subject or a reference line, if you are writing about a specific piece of legislation state the full title of the act or proposed law in this line or the first paragraph of the letter. Start the letter with a clear statement of purpose eg:”I am writing to ask you to support / oppose ...” Include in the body of the letter a couple of important points that will help to give support for your request.

Ask your representative to take action: asking them to raise the matter in their party room and seek to have their party oppose the Bill. Point out that the issues are important enough to warrant amendments to the Bill, and for the representative to cross the floor and vote against the Bill if their party supports it.

Ask for a response, a well-written letter can be instrumental in prompting them to take action behind the public scenes to inform and potentially change their political party’s position.
 
Personalise your letter, when possible, include personal information on how the issue affects you, your family, your business, or people around you. This can help your representative understand your position and can be very persuasive as they form a position on an issue. The more personal your letter, the more impact it is likely to have.

Personalise your relationship, if you have ever voted for the representative, or contributed time or money to their election campaign, or have met them, etc, say so. The closer your representative feels to you, the more effective your letter is likely to be.

Be polite and courteous, but don’t be afraid to take a firm position. While your representative’s job is to represent you, remember that politicians and their staff are people too. Threats, hostile remarks and rude or offensive language are among the fastest ways to alienate people who could otherwise decide to support your position in light of rational and reasoned argument. Avoid creating enemies.

Thanking them is as important as criticism; politicians need to be able to tell the ‘other side’ that they have been inundated with calls and letters supporting their position. Write thank you letters to politicians or parties that you know support your position. This will encourage them to stand firm on their position rather than backing down.
Avoid accusing or criticising the wrong politicians or party. Politicians, like anyone else, may become irritated when accused of holding views they do not have. If you are not sure of the views of the person or political party you are contacting, do some research on the matter, ask them, or just inform them of your views and why they should support same view.

Contacting Newspapers (letters to editors)