Letters to Council, MPs and Senators
Contacting Local Councillors and Member’s of Parliament
If you have a concern about your local environment or sustainability issues, a great way to create policy change is to write to your local Councillor and/or Member of Parliament.
Have a read below for some tips and tricks!
STEP 1. Who is your local Councillor or Member of Parliament?
First things first, who do you write to? To figure this out, you need to understand the difference between a Councillor and Member of Parliament.
If you want a detailed explanation of the three level of Government in Queensland, click HERE!
Basically, if your issue concerns local Government and Councils such as:
- Local waterway health
- Reducing litter in a local park
- Funding for recycling at your school/community group
Then its best to contact your local Councillor. To find out what Councillor is in charge of your division, ward or area, visit this website:
Just type in your address to figure out the local area, then you can research the local Councillor based off that.
A similar site exists to help you find your local electorate which will help you figure out who your local member of Parliament is (below). Then, research your local MP in charge of that electorate.
Issues pertaining to Member of Parliament are those that are more about policy change and/or those issues affecting a wider area of the community.
STEP 2. How to address your Councillor or MP in the letter?
Make sure you can use the correct title when addressing your Government representative.
When writing to your local MP using the correct title is essential! For letters, make sure you put the name and address of your MP in the top left hand corner of the letter. When writing an MP’s name it should start with their title which will be one of these (Mr/ Mrs/Ms/Dr), followed by first and last name, then finish the name with MP.
The same goes for councillors. Although, their name will start with Councillor and not end with MP. For example, ‘Councillor John Smith’.
Some times, the Councillor and/or MP will have extra Titles such as ‘The Honourable’. In this case, its best to research your Government representative and their official title should be on their webpage.
STEP 3: Write your Letter!
Tips and Tricks:
- Introduce yourself first!
- Acknowledge that you are a local resident/community member
- Keep the letter to one page and have it be clear and straightforward
- End the letter with the outcome or solution you wish to have
- Send EcoMarines your letter for proofreading – Email Us
Here is a template of an EcoMarines Government Representative invitation letter to attend our end of year event The Wave. This will give you an idea of how to structure your letter!
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