Make your request stand out

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.

If you have a compelling reason why your MP should meet you, such as your lived experience, or affiliation with 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.

If you haven’t received a response within ten days, call the office again and ask to speak with the MP’s diary manager. If your meeting request is denied, don’t give up- persist politely and respectfully.

Prepare!

It’s important to be well prepared in order to get the most out of your meeting. Start by doing some background research on your MP. Make sure you know how to pronounce their name and how you should address them.

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.

Make sure you walk into the meeting with a good understanding of drug law reform and our campaign asks- you don’t need to know everything about the nitty gritty details of policy, but keep tabs on any recent updates or news stories.

The most important thing about these meetings is connecting the issues to your personal values- so have a good think about why the issue of drug law reform connects to you. Check out our news section!

Try to find out what your MP’s views are on your issue and what the policy of their party is. Your MP may have their own website that has information on their positions!

Think about Action

It is important to work out before your meeting what action you will ask your MP to take. This requires a bit of thinking about your local member and their potential for change.

If you want insights about your local MP and suggestions, contact us!

Team Up!

If you know other people who care 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 – whether that be personal lived experience, or story of family and friends. Make sure to link back these experiences to what you want to change (i.e our unfair drug laws causing stigma and harm).

Plan who will say what and choose someone to lead the conversation with the MP. That person will introduce your group members, begin the discussion and conclude the meeting. One person should also be assigned to take notes of everything that is said during the meeting – especially any commitments that are made.

Giving your MP a brief document outlining your key points and pertinent facts and figures can be an effective way to ensure that your message receives further consideration. Your MP may have an adviser or two with them, so you should take additional copies of any documents you plan to refer to.

It may help to write a few notes for yourself, outlining your key arguments and other facts and figures you want to use. Alternatively, you can simply use a copy of the document you have prepared for the MP. However, don’t write out a speech which you then ‘read’ to the MP.

While it’s good to take a small team, don’t try to bring too many people. Three or four is ideal.

Tell them exactly what you want

Tell the politician exactly what you want him or her to do. Be brief and to the point.

Our goal at Fair Treatment is to give space for politicians to take action on Drug Law reform- and that their broader community is in favour. Make sure the MP feels like it is in their best interests to support the issue.

Think of other benefits that you may be able to point to. Is there a chance of local media coverage, or the opportunity to speak at an event?

Make sure to keep the meeting on track- as much as you may want the meeting to feel casual and relaxed, you’re there for a reason, so don’t let yourself or the politician drive the conversation away from the issues at hand.

Once you’ve spelt out what you are asking for, seek a commitment from your MP. Ask them what they are going to do as a result of your visit and when. Ask them to inform you when they have taken action.

Your MP may try to refer your concern to another MP who has greater responsibility in the area. If this occurs, gently, but firmly, remind your MP that, as a member of their electorate, you would like their involvement and advocacy.

We know that Chris Minns is one of the major blockers to law reform- so we need as many MPs as possible to show their support to put pressure on action. Every MP counts!

Leave a lasting impact

When the meeting has come to an end – and regardless of how successful it has been – take the time to once again thank your MP for meeting with you. Ask for the business cards of any advisers present at the meeting. Indicate that you appreciate their time and would be happy to meet with them again at any stage in the future. Get a photo with the MP that you can share on social media and send to the MP in a thank you email/letter later.

Debrief and Follow Up

Talk over the how the meeting went with your team. Discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how you could do it better next time, and plan who will be responsible for any follow up actions.

Send a follow up letter or email to the MP. Thank them for meeting with you, outline your understanding of any actions they committed to take and indicate that you look forward to hearing from them. Include any information you promised to send to the politician and the picture you took!

Make sure your MP honours their commitments to you. If you don’t hear anything within a month, give their office a call or write to ask them whether they have taken the action they committed to take. Once again, persistence is the key.