Engaging with your local MP

Can you help us get the word out?​

You can boost support for both your Landcare group and the community landcare movement by engaging with your local MP, writing letters and getting active on social media. This toolkit is designed to help you:

Identify your local MP

The first step in reaching out to your local MP is to find their contact details. Use this map to find them.

Elected State Government MPs

Hold a meeting with your MP

It can take a few weeks to confirm a meeting time with your MP, so make sure you get in early if there’s an important date coming up. If you can’t get a meeting immediately, don’t panic – this is an ongoing campaign with ongoing relationships. If this is your first meeting, it shouldn’t be your last! MPs are busy and their diaries change a lot. Don’t be put off if your meeting gets cancelled, shortened or rescheduled at late notice – be patient, persistent and polite.

Hold a meeting with your MP

It can take a few weeks to confirm a meeting time with your MP, so make sure you get in early if there’s an important date coming up. If you can’t get a meeting immediately, don’t panic – this is an ongoing campaign with ongoing relationships. If this is your first meeting, it shouldn’t be your last! MPs are busy and their diaries change a lot. Don’t be put off if your meeting gets cancelled, shortened or rescheduled at late notice – be patient, persistent and polite.

Step one: get in touch

We are here to help and if we are able, possibly come along to your meeting – email us with any questions or just to let us know your plans.

Step two: draft your letter

If this is your first interaction with the MP, make sure to include some details about yourself and your group, and why you’re seeking a meeting with them. It’s also good to make a note of your role within the community and your community’s concerns.

  • Open you email by congratulating them on something they’ve done well in the environment, agriculture or climate change space, or something they may have said publicly about their values.
  • State your request for a meeting and the dates that you are available.
  • Explain the reasons for wanting to meet with them.
  • Ask their office to contact you to arrange a suitable time and note anyone else who may attend the meeting – this doesn’t need to be too specific.
  • Sign off with your name and contact details.

If you need some help with this, you can use the email template provided below.

Step three: follow up with phone call

Follow up your meeting request with a phone call – after three or four days – to make sure your email has been received and noted.

Step four: hold your meeting

Prior to your event, make sure to confirm the amount of time allocated to your meeting, it’s likely that an MP will only join you for about 30 minutes.

Here are some handy tips for holding a successful meeting:

  • Turn up on time.
  • Introduce yourself and those who are with you, and why you wanted to meet with them.
  • Take the MP through your key points and key ask (see key messages).
  • Highlight any common areas of interest you may have with the MP (inaugural speeches are a great place to find out more about an MPs values and interests).
  • Tell some personal stories about landcare and how it has benefited your region, or your property – use small, specific examples that are easy to picture.
  • Ask if your MP is willing to support your key ask. Listen to what they say and take notes.
  • Ask them if there is anything you can do to help, to allow them to support your key ask.
  • Ask if you can take a photo with them holding our Advocacy Report and let them know where the photo will be used (social media, newsletter, media release etc.).
  • Leave a copy of the Advocacy Report with them so they can read through them later.
  • Thank your MP for their time.

Step five: follow up

Now that you’ve had a successful meeting, it’s time to solidify your impact. Follow these steps below to help maintain an ongoing relationship and grow support for the community landcare movement.

  • Let Queensland Water and Land Carers know how your meeting went! Include any key takeaways and photos from the meeting.
  • Post about your meeting on social media if you took photos. 
  • Make sure to tag the MP and QWaLC. If you need help with what to say, have a look at the example social media post below. Follow up with the MP to thank them for attending your meeting.
  • If they made any commitments to you, remind them of what these were and do the same if you made any commitments to them.

Write a letter to your local MP

When writing a letter to your MP, it’s best to keep it short and focus on one issue – this helps to maximise the impact of your message. Lengthy letters, that cover a range of topics are more likely to be overlooked. A short, focussed message can be powerful. A letter template has been provided below. 

Advice on content

  • Refer to some information about landcare in Queensland from the latest Health of Landcare Report, as well as any key messaging for your campaign.
  • Make it personal – explain why you care but be sure to remain calm and respectful.
  • Make a specific ask – ask your MP to vote against a particular Bill, speak about the issue in Parliament, raise the issue with relevant MPs or talk about the issue in the media.

Write a letter to the editor

Letters to the editor are a great way to bring landcare and the issues it faces to the attention of your local MP, media outlets and the broader community. Avoid negative commentary – stay positive.

Advice on content

  • Open with a greeting, using the editors name if you know it.
  • Make it interesting: Try to capture the reader’s attention from the very first sentence.
  • If writing in response to another letter or article, cite its date and title.
  • Make a convincing case: try to be persuasive and back up your facts with solid evidence.
  • Make a call to action: Be clear about what you want done about a particular issue.
  • Incorporate key messages
  • Keep it short: Your letter has a better chance of making it into the newspaper in its entirety if it is 250 words or less in length.
  • Sign off with your name and contact details (they won’t publish your contact details but may need to contact you to follow up or verify your identity).

Engage on social media

Sharing landcare messages on your social media platforms is an effective way of reaching new audiences that Landcare Victoria wouldn’t be able to reach on our own. You can do this by following us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and liking/sharing our posts, or by writing your own posts and tweets and tagging us!

If you have a meeting with your MP, or they come to an event, this is also a great thing to promote. You can also tag QWaLC, the MP and the local media in these posts.

An example social media post has been provided below.

Letter template – writing to your MP

Dear [MP Name]*,

1. Introduce yourself, including your role with your Landcare Group and which electorate you are in.

2. Identify the issues you are concerned about.

3. Include key messages.

4. Explain in your own words why this issue concerns. You could:

  • Use a personal story.
  • Link the problem to past, current, or future impacts on the community.

5. Tell your MP what you want them to do (e.g. advocate for funding for Landare funding).

I await your response with anticipation.

Kind Regards, [Your Name].

*If the MP is, or has been, a Government Minister, they are given the title, ‘The Honourable’. This means you would address them as follows: ‘The Hon. Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr First Name Last Name MP’ for MPs who are Ministers.

Example social media post

What a fabulous day! A big thankyou to @tomjonesMP for joining us at our monthly working bee at the Bushy Creek Reserve.

Together we removed four bags of invasive weeds including St John’s Wort, Paterson’s Curse and African Capeweed, creating a healthy and save environment for our native grassland species to thrive.

It was fantastic to have Minister Jones’s support on the day and to be able to demonstrate our impact protecting threatened native grasslands here in Bushy Creek.

Our next working bee will be held on September 3 from 9am. To find out more visit: www.bushycreeklandcare.org.au.

@qwalc @tomjonesMP @busycreeknews #communitylandcare #landcare #queensland #qwalcmember

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Email template for meeting request

Subject: Meeting request

Dear [MP NAME]*,

1. Introduce yourself, including your role with your Landcare Group and which electorate you are in.

2. Congratulate the MP on something they’ve done well in the environment, agriculture or climate change space, or something they may have said publicly about their values.

3. Identify that you are requesting a meeting to discuss critical issues facing landcare in Victoria.

4. Include key messages.

5. Let them know your availability and who else will be present at the meeting.

I look forward to your response. I can be contacted at [EMAIL] or on [PHONE] for further information and to arrange a suitable time.

Kind Regards,

[YOUR NAME].

Representing Landcare

Remember that you are representing Landcare more broadly as well as your local group. Before publicly representing us on a statewide issue, please check in with us here at QWaLC first. Our reputation is key to our success, and we need to make sure we’re all on the same page. If representing us, please:

    • Always remain respectful, constructive and non-partisan.
    • Be evidence-based when talking about landcare and the issues we are facing. 
    • Should you require any information or support to contribute to this campaign, please don’t hesitate to reach out using our contact details.