Effective Advocacy

Aims:• Tips and advice on how to engage local MPs.

• How and why Professionals Australia engages with MPs + how you can help.

• How important parliamentary advocacy is for our campaigns.

Your work is part of our work.• Your engagement with MPs is part of the broader

Professionals Australia campaign strategies.

• We are most effective in engaging government when MPs – of all sides of politics – know there is wide and deep support for our stance on issues across the community.

What’s been your experience?• Have you interacted with politicians before and what

happened?

MP Engagement is:• Social media

• Telephone calls

• Letter writing

• Flyers/Actions

• Meetings

MP engagement is also…• Impartial and driven by Professionals Australia’s

values

• Building a bigger movement of professional employees in Australia

It’s important work.• More MPs engaged about our issues, means:

– More of our issues are discussed in parliament and among decision makers

– More questions are asked of government in parliament about the issues that matter to our members.

• Our advocacy efforts can help hold governments to account to the community to ensure safe, reliable and cost effective infrastructure.

Important to note:

1. Be clear in what capacity you are meeting a politician. It’s in your capacity as a constituent/concerned professional not as an employee of Department X or Company Y.

2. That your views are not necessarily the views of the organisation.

3. Be aware of your obligations as a professional – use of taxpayer monies/safety of activities etc.

4. As much as possible try and be factual and use information that is in the public domain (but is more than likely to be poorly understood).

Before you start. Have a PLAN.• What is the problem? How do you want to change it?• Why are you engaging now?• How will approach the MP?• How does it resonate in the electorate?• What can the MP/Senator proactively do?• How can Professionals Australia help them?

Before you start: • Know your purpose. Have three key things you want

to say and at least one thing you want to ask for. Write them down.

• Be prepared. Know the facts, hone your messaging, have a plan.

• Research. Your issue and your MP to help you build a strategy.

Ways to engage• More formal engage with MPs allows you to highlight

particular issues of importance to you and spend some specific time advocating for it.

• If you take the time to write to, or call your MP, you will put these issues on their agenda.

• Calling/tweeting takes 30 seconds• Writing – 10 minutes• Having a meeting takes longer – but the benefits are

also greater.

Getting prepared.• What is the current government policy? • What does the MP think? Check their website, media

and speeches.• Check the Professionals Australia website for up to

date information on our position.• Useful to know if the MP has extra parliamentary roles

– what committees are they on? Inaugural speech?

At the meeting.• Know your issue.

• Honesty is the best policy.

• Focus on the facts.

• Acknowledge the staff.

• Realistic, persuasive & brief.

• Positive & professional.

Follow up• If relationships are the key to effective advocacy –

then it pays to maintain your engagement.

• After your meeting, write to them to thank them.

• Reiterate your key points and your ‘calls’ to remind them what you have asked for.

• Let them know you’ll keep them informed and stay in touch about the issues that interest them.

Support

Matt HarrisNational Campaign Director

mharris@professionalsaustralia.org.au 0421 098 246