...working for equal marriage rights for all Australians

TIPS FOR CONTACTING YOUR MP

Thank you for considering contacting your Member of Parliament to let them know you support equal marriage. Contacting your MP is easy, and is crucial to winning equal marriage rights for all Australians.

If you are unsure which federal electorate you live in or who your local MP is, find out here: http://apps.aec.gov.au/esearch/

 

CONTENTS:
Effective Outreach
Meeting Tips:
- The electorate office is the point of contact
- Prior to the meeting
- At the meeting
- After the meeting
Letter Writing Tips
Phone Call Tips
Following Up
Equal Marriage - Key Messages
Questions? Concerns?

 

EFFECTIVE OUTREACH:

It is important to recognise that not all types of contact are equal. In political terms, it is fair to say that a meeting between a constituent and an MP would be worth 50 personalised letters or 100 telephone calls and a phone call would be worth 1,000 emails.

Email messages are increasingly being used to lobby MPs on all kinds of issues. Many such emails are often deleted without being opened. Email is the easiest form of mass communication and it does not establish residency in a particular electorate. Therefore, an MP could be receiving many emails and not be sure that they originated in Australia, let alone in their electorate.

A phone call is more valuable than an email

1. There’s an opportunity to let the electorate officer know where you live and therefore establish your role as a constituent.
    

2. If the MP is not in the office, you can calmly explain your position to the electorate officer or ask for the MP to return your call—that way you register your position with their office in a respectful, calm manner.
    

3. If and when the MP returns your call, you’ll have a few minutes to introduce yourself and personalise the issue. If this is the case, follow the meeting tips outlined below.
    

4. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask them directly to support equal marriage and, if they say they do, ask them to speak with their colleagues.
    

5. If you're shy, you can always call after hours and leave a message. Be sure to clearly state that you support same-sex marriage and leave your name, address and phone number so they can confirm you are a constituent.
   
   (see below for tips on effective phone calls)

A personal letter is valuable

1. Residency is established by the return address.
    

2. The fact that this issue is important to you is clear as you took the time to write.
    

3. You can take your time to compose your letter – introduce yourself and why you support equal marriage and ask for their support.
    

4. Provide a phone number and/or email address to make it easier for them to respond to you.
   
   (see below for tips on writing letters to your MP)

A meeting is best

Meeting with your MP is probably the most powerful thing you can do to get them to support equal marriage. Meeting with your MP gives them a chance to put a human face on the issue, and it gives you (and Australian Marriage Equality) the opportunity to understand their perspective, in terms of their personal views, their concerns and their perception of where their constituents stand.

 

MEETING TIPS:

1. The local electorate office is the point of contact:

• Call the MPs electorate office (address and phone numbers are available by clicking here).
   

• Provide your name, the fact that you live in the electorate and that you’d like to meet with the MP on the issue of same-sex marriage.
   

• Politely answer any questions that the electorate officer may ask—remember, he or she is the eyes and ears of the MP in the local electorate.
   

• Be patient on timing but persistent that you meet face to face some time in the next few weeks.

2. Prior to the Meeting:

• Learn what you can about the MP
   

• Review his or her parliamentary biography or personal website:
  
  For local members (House of Representatives)
  see: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm

  For senators (Senate)
  see: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/index.htm
   

• Review your key messages and make note of the points you want to make.

3. At the Meeting:

• Be Yourself - it’s important to be genuine. Even if you stumble a bit at first, just relax and be yourself.
   

• Use Key Messages - it helps to be clear and concise. Click here for some suggestions.
   

• Tell your Story - when people hear about real human experiences, it’s hard for them to stereotype. Personalising the discussion/questions by talking about yourself and your partner or your lesbian and gay friends or family who wish to marry, will help change hearts and minds.
   

• Be Respectful - no matter the position of your/the MP, remember to be respectful to them and to their staff. An aggressive or impolite approach will only harden the MP and/or their staff to our community and our issues.
   

• DON’T get distracted from your core goals/message - it is really easy to get off on a tangent but important to stay on message. If you stray, get back to the subject of equal marriage.
   

• DON’T put down those who oppose equal marriage - sometimes, it’s hard not to be emotional or speak harshly about those who oppose our right to equality. But if we condemn them, we may come across as the ones who are intolerant of diverse perspectives.
   

• It’s OK to say “I Don’t Know” - if you don’t know the answer to a question, that’s no problem. Just say you’ll look into it and get back later. After the meeting, contact Australian Marriage Equality and we’ll find the answer for you.
   

• DON’T FORGET TO ASK FOR THEIR SUPPORT!!! - don’t forget to ask the MP if you can count on their support for equal marriage in the future. If they say they will support equal marriage, ask them to speak with their colleagues to help deliver equal marriage.

4. After the meeting:

• Report Back - send us an email at ame@australianmarriageequality.com. The report that you provide from your meeting with your MP can make all the difference.
   

• Thank the MP - if you had a positive meeting, drop a line (either by mail or email) to the MP, thanking them and reminding them of any commitment that they may have made to you.
   

• Keep in touch - if you see an interesting article, forward it to the MP to keep yourself (and equal marriage) in their mind.

 

LETTER WRITING TIPS:

The best place to send a letter to your MP is to their electorate office (addresses are available by clicking here). However, if you prefer, you can send a letter to their Canberra office:

(name of MP)
Parliament House
Canberra   ACT   2600

No matter where you send the letter, here are a few tips:

• Provide a return address and let them know that you live in their electorate. This will provide you with much greater credibility in their eyes.
   

• Keep the letter relatively brief - no more than 1½ pages - typed or hand written.
   

• As has been suggested above for meetings, illustrate the key messages by telling your story in your own words. This will have a much greater impact than any pre-written communication they receive in the office.
   

• Be respectful and give the MP the benefit of the doubt. Whatever information you have about an MP's position, it may not be accurate and they may be open to changing their mind. They will respond better to a calm, polite letter -  remember passion can be expressed with reason.
   

• As is the case with meetings, don’t put down those who oppose equal marriage. You could be insulting someone close to that person - not an endearing tactic.
   

• Ask for their support and request a reply - you can provide them with your phone number and/or email address to make it simple for them to get back to you. When you do hear back, please share the response with AME - we need to know what’s happening.

 

PHONE CALL TIPS:

There are two options available to you on phone calls - either call and simply register your opinion with the MPs electorate officer or request a call back from the Member of Parliament (phone numbers are available by clicking here).

If it is your intention to speak with the MP:

• Take the opportunity to think about what you intend to say and perhaps jot down a couple of key points for yourself to ensure that you deliver your message in a short amount of time.
   

• Follow the tips outlined above for meetings - tell your story, but remember to keep it brief; be respectful and listen to what the MP has to say; use your key messages and make sure you get those points across.
   

• Don’t forget to ask for their support - if they say they support equal marriage, ask them to speak with their colleagues to help deliver equal marriage.

 

FOLLOWING UP:

If you have already had contact with your MP on this issue, please let us know. We need feedback in order to build support.

If you are willing to keep in touch with your MP on this issue, there are some amazing opinion-editorial articles in newspapers from time to time. If you spot a good one, pass it along to your MP.

 

EQUAL MARRIAGE - KEY MESSAGES

Although personal stories are more powerful, here are some general ideas based on certain values to get you started:

• Marriage is a realisation of love through commitment. The government should not be able to say who should marry whom.
   

• Denying lovers the right to marry is against human dignity.
   

• The right to marry in your own country is at the heart of citizenship. When we have thousands of Australian citizens who are denied full citizenship, citizenship itself is weakened.
   

• It is often claimed that marriage is a Christian or Jewish institution when, in fact, marriage pre-dates both these religions. At any rate, most marriages in Australia occur through civil ceremonies. Legal marriage as provided by the Marriage Act should not discriminate against any particular group of Australians or impose a particular religious view on those who do not share it.
   

• Some ministers of religion seek the right to marry same-sex couples. Freedom of religion demands that these ministers should also be able to conduct marriages in accordance with their beliefs.
   

• Australia not only insults its own citizens by refusing to recognise their same-sex marriages, it also insults the citizens of other countries in legal same-sex marriages when they visit our country.
   

• There have been no detrimental consequences where same-sex marriage has been introduced and support for same-sex marriage increased markedly among voters within months of its commencement in each of those countries.
   

• Most Australians support equal marriage. A Galaxy poll published on 21 June 2007 showed 57% in favour, 37% against and 6% undecided.
   

• The right to marry gives greater social and legal security to your family. Denying this to some families while giving it to others creates insecurity within society and weakens the fundamental Australian values of equality and belonging.
   

• Remember key ideas: Love and Commitment, Equality, Respect, Dignity, Security, Belonging and Citizenship.

 

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS?

If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact us at ame@australianmarriageequality.com