Australia: Straight Talk participants Nicole Bloomfield, Alice Ugle and Shaylem Wilson with President of the Senate Susan Lines (seated) at her desk in Parliament House during the 2022 Straight Talk National Summit. Photo: Jillian Mundy/Oxfam

Meeting your member of parliament

Your personal insights can shape how an MP advocates within their party or government.

Australia: Tanya was one of four climate activists from the Kimberley, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands who came together for the Safe Climate, Equal Future Speakers tour in September 2024. Photo: Heidi Demond/Oxfam

Passionate politics

How to make the most of your meeting with a member of parliament

Meeting with your local MP allows you to raise issues early, before policies are finalised or votes take place. It's an important opportunity to bring attention to gaps in services or funding.

Given their busy schedule, securing a meeting with your MP could be quite a challenge. How do you convince their personal assistant to put you in the diary?

And once you are in there, what can you do to get the most out of your meeting? Here are some suggestions.

Securing a meeting

Put it in writing

Always request a meeting in writing. If you call first, most MP’s offices will ask that you put your request to them in an email, fax or letter. Your letter doesn’t need to be long, simply outline who you are, and the organisation or issue you represent.

State why you want to meet with them, who will attend the meeting and give them an outline of what you would like to discuss. This should not be a summary of all of your arguments, just one or two sentences or dot points so they have some idea what to expect. Try to get your point across quickly and make the email short and persuasive.

Think about whether there have been any related issues in the media recently. If you can tie your letter into a current issue you will have a better chance of getting a meeting.

Make your request stand out

If you have a compelling reason why your MP should meet you, such as the fact that you live in their electorate or because you are the official spokesperson for an organisation, make this clear. Provide all your contact details and ask the MPs office to get back to you.

To demonstrate your strong interest in meeting with the MP, it is often a good idea to back up your written request with a telephone call. You can simply confirm that the office has received your request and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing back from them.

Be persistent

If you have not received a response to your request within ten days, telephone the office again and ask to speak with the MP’s personal assistant or diary manager. If your request for a meeting is denied, don’t give up.

Many people secure meetings with their MP through sheer persistence. Remember to remain friendly, polite and respectful and you will stand a great chance of eventually securing a meeting time.

Track your communications with your member so that if you have to email and call several times, you can refer to the previous dates that you have communicated with their office. Saying that you’ve tried to contact them three or four times may just get their attention.

Getting ready

Know your MP

State why you want to meet with them, who will attend the meeting and give them an outline of what you would like to discuss.

This should not be a summary of all of your arguments, just one or two sentences or dot points so they have some idea what to expect. Try to get your point across quickly and make the email short and persuasive.

If you don’t already know, make sure you find out which party your MP belongs to, whether they hold any position in that party, how long they have been in parliament and whether they are a member of parliamentary committees.

Try to find out what your MP’s views are on your issue and what the policy of their party is. Do an online search of Hansard, the record of everything that is said in parliament, using your MP’s name and the issue you are meeting them about.

For more information about Hansard and first speeches, take a look at what happens in parliament. Information on all members and senators is available from the Australian Parliament House website. Many MPs have their own websites and some even have their own blog.

Know your issue

Research your issue. Remember, no-one expects you to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the issue, just make sure you have a good understanding of it and are up-to-date with any media or community campaigns on the issue.

It may be helpful to hold a mock meeting with a friend where they play the role of the MP. This will give you a chance to consider some of the questions your MP might raise or arguments they might make, and help you plan what to say in response.

Be confident about what you do know and offer to get back to them on anything you don’t. Saying ‘I don’t know’ is always better than making points you can’t back up. Make sure to follow up with them after the meeting on any questions you weren’t sure how to answer.

Remember, your MP is there to represent you regardless of how much you know about your issue. The most important reason for meeting with your MP is simply that you care about the issue. It’s good to be prepared but you don’t need to be an expert.

Know what you want

It is important to work out before your meeting what action you will ask your MP to take. This will depend on which party the MP belongs to, whether they hold any other positions and what their views are on the issue. It will also depend on the nature of your issue – for example, if you are meeting with your MP about a Bill you disagree with, you might simply ask them to vote against the Bill in parliament.

In other circumstances, it may be useful to identify two or three possible actions that your MP could take. If you're not sure, learn what you can ask your MP.

During the meeting

Team up

If you know other people who care about the issue, organise a small team to attend the meeting. This will give you some moral support and back-up. If you can organise representatives of other groups concerned about the issue, that’s even better. This will help to show your MP that the issue has wider community support.

It can also be effective to bring someone with personal experience of the issue – for example, if you are campaigning for more support for people living with disabilities, it would be ideal for a person living with a disability to share their experiences. Individual experience gives colour to what can otherwise be dry facts. It is also harder for someone to argue against an issue when there is first-hand experience at the table.

While it’s good to take a small team, don’t try to bring too many people. Three or four is ideal. Remember that if you are bringing additional people, you need to let the MPs office know before the meeting.

After your meeting

Debrief

Talk over how the meeting went with your team. Discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how you could do it better next time. Make a note of any points to keep in mind for your next visit. Your experience and your better understanding of the politician will make the next meeting easier.

Go over your notes of the meeting, paying attention to any commitments that were made by the MP, or any commitment that you may have made to provide further information. Work out who will be responsible for any follow-up actions.

Follow up

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