Get the toolkit: Meeting with your MP

Who is my local MP?
You can find out which federal electorate you’re in and the local Member of Parliament that represents you here. You can also request a meeting with any candidates running in your seat! Find them by checking out the parties' websites.

Requesting a meeting
It can take time to confirm a meeting time with your MP, and election campaigns are busy – so send your request as soon as possible! Personalise this template and email your MP to request a meeting between now and the election.

If you can’t get a meeting at all and want to do something else to put the pressure on, check out our escalation tactics on page 30 of this handy guide to meeting your MP!

Let us know it’s happening
Email us ([email protected]) with the time and date of your meeting so we can get in touch with supporting materials, share the latest data on conversations in your electorate, and follow up with you after the meeting.

Prepare for the meeting
It’s best to go into the meeting with a prepared agenda and asks. More on this below!

Got other questions?

• Check out our detailed guide to influencing your MP.
• Join us on Facebook to compare notes with others.
• Get in touch at [email protected] and we’ll give you a call or email you back!

1. Introduce yourself and share a personal story of why you care about the issue.
2. Show you’ve done your research – congratulate them on something they’ve done well on climate, or something they may have said publicly about their values, and ask whether they agree we need to act more urgently to stop climate pollution.
3. Share our campaign strategy - let your MP know about ACF’s conversations campaign and making this the climate election. Make sure to talk about how you personally have been involved - share a powerful conversation that you had with someone.
4. Tell them our policy asks and ask what they are prepared to commit to. If they have agreed that we need to act more urgently to stop climate pollution, explain that Adani and 100% renewable energy are the big tests right now on whether MPs and political parties are serious on climate.
5. Ask for a written commitment - Using our meeting summary tool, get a clear record of what your MP is willing to actually do.
6. Get a photo with our election placard!
7. Thank them and let them know you’ll be having more conversations and will be back!

What policy asks do we want them to commit to?

As per the vote commitment petition you’ve been collecting signatures on in your electorate or on the phone, constituents are committing to only vote for a party who will:

•    Stop Adani’s polluting mine
•    End digging and burning coal
•    Switch to 100% clean energy

We are asking MPs and candidates their position on these key policy asks and asking them to move their parties towards them. At election time, we will be sharing a scorecard comparing how the parties stack up on these asks, so if the MP’s party doesn’t have good policies yet, the MP or candidate will need to DO something to shift their party.

What are we asking them to DO?

Often, an MP will privately agree with you on what needs to be done, or say that those asks are not possible for them to achieve on their own, or they may personally agree with us, but their party’s position is different. We need to let MPs and candidates know that we’ll be talking to voters in their electorates about their parties’ position, so they’ll need to take action to get their party to shift!

Here’s what you can ask them to actually do:

• Publicly speak out in support of policy demands via a speech in parliament, press conference, or press release.
• Speak in support of policy demands at a community meeting hosted by local group or at a candidates forum
• Publish a letter in the local paper or on their social media in support of policy demands
• Write to their party leader, portfolio holders and portfolio secretaries in support of policy demands
• Organise a constituent meeting with other MPs/candidates on these issues
• Take a photo with you and one of our climate election placards (coming shortly)!

Remember that our power is in numbers. While you are welcome to focus on the issue or impact that most motivates you during the meeting, this tactic will be most effective if the demands of all MPs are the same.

Keen for more detail on how a party’s policy could achieve these things? Check out our National Agenda.

Be nice

Politicians are people too. Always be polite, professional and courteous. Arrive on time, with time to sign in at reception and gather your thoughts. If relevant, acknowledge any support they have given to your issue in the past. Try to connect with your MP by sharing the reasons you really care about this issue – they may have a story to share too. No matter how outrageous the decision a government has taken or their attitude towards the people who are campaigning against them, you are never going to influence someone by being abusive or impolite. Be professional, courteous and determined – rather than making it personal.

Pics or it didn’t happen

Ask your MP for a photo together to share afterwards! Ideally, someone in the photo will be holding a climate election poster in the picture. If your MP will not take a photo with you, be sure to take one with the group outside the office with clear signage in the background.

Let us know how it went!
We’ll be in touch with a reportback form so you can share how it went and your photo.

Tell the world!
Share the story of your meeting on social media using the hashtag #HereNow and #OneMillionConversations. This helps to normalise community political action and lets your friends and family know about the campaign!

You might also like to contact your local paper and see if they’re interested in a story about the meeting and the campaign.

Send a follow up email to your MP
Thank them for their time and confirm the commitments they made. Let them know how many conversations you plan to have in their electorate and that you’ll be back!

 Want more detail on how to influence your MP? Check out our detailed guide!