Working With Government Kit - 2009

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QV Women’s Centre Women’s Organisation’s Capacity Building Workshops

Working with Government{

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Introduction{The Queen Victoria Women’s Centre is pleased to offer this Working with Government and Parliament Kit for women and women’s organisations across Victoria, to help and empower them in their advocacy skills.

The Working with Government and Parliament Kit is comprehensive but also, we hope, easy to understand and use: it doesn’t require prior knowledge or experience. The kit provides crucial information about how parliament, government and the media work. These areas are critical in the success and sustainability of community organisations.

The kit covers three main topics:

1. Understanding Government and Parliament gives insights into the processes and protocols of both government and parliament and suggestions for interacting with them.

2. Introduction to Lobbying gives some start-up suggestions for placing your issue firmly onto the public agenda, plus ideas for influencing key decision makers to make changes.

3. Getting Media Coverage outlines how to attract the right media coverage to build the public profile of your issues and your organisation.

This kit is designed to be used as a foundation tool for workshops, for group training sessions and for individual women. Each topic has extension activities which can be done by groups or individuals. The kit ends with a Resource Guide for further information.

This material is based on the intellectual work of EMILY’s list which has been further developed and published by the QV Women’s Centre. It is ground breaking for such valuable information to be made so readily available. The Trust has invested donations raised through the Shilling Fund and attracted partnership support from the Helen McPherson Smith Trust for the Women’s Organisation’s Capacity Building program..

Women’s organisations play a crucial role in our democracy. The QV Women’s Centre hopes this kit can help demystify the processes of lobbying and engaging with parliament, government and the media. Our wish is that it can help women and women’s organisations to continue to make a difference to the Victorian community and become even better advocates for the diverse issues that affect women.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Brown Chair - Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust 2009

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Contents{ TOPiC 1 – UndersTandinG GOVernmenT and ParliamenT 2

HOW THe sTaTe and Federal ParliamenTs WOrK – ViCTOrian sTaTe ParliamenT – Federal ParliamenT ParliamenTary PrOCeedinGs - HOW minisTers & mPs Use ParliamenT COnTaCTinG memBers OF ParliamenT (PrOTOCOls) WHaT Can a lOCal mP dO? aCTiViTies FOr UndersTandinG ParliamenT and GOVernmenT

TOPiC 2 – inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG 11

inTrOdUCTiOn – Keys TO HisTOriC lOBByinG sUCCesses WOrKinG COlleCTiVely and sPeaKinG WiTH One VOiCe Byrne’s 5 sTeP sCale in CHanGinG POliTiCian’s aTTiTUdes maKinG THe Case COmPlemenTary sTraTeGies FOr WOrKinG WiTH ParliamenTary PrOCesses rUnninG a CamPaiGn TarGeTinG lOCal mPs aCTiViTies FOr inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG

TOPiC 3 – GeTTinG media COVeraGe 18

inTrOdUCTiOn – WHy dO COmmUniTy OrGanisaTiOns need media? UndersTandinG THe media FOrms OF media media releases and CaPTUrinG THe media’s aTTenTiOn Keys TO GeTTinG yOUr neWs/VieWs COVered COre elemenTs OF a media release/sTOry disTriBUTinG yOUr media release inTerVieWs and FOllOW-UP COnVersaTiOns aCTiViTies FOr GeTTinG media COVeraGe

resOUrCes 28

FOr TOPiC 1: UndersTandinG ParliamenT FOr TOPiC 2: inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG FOr TOPiC 3: GeTTinG media COVeraGe

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Topic 1{ UndersTandinG ParliamenT and GOVernmenT

inTrOdUCTiOn

The formal purpose of parliament is noble. As the crucible of democratic government, it is the place where:

constituents• have their voice and electorates are represented via their local members communities of interest• have their interests represented via ministers and shadow ministerswhere • Bills are endorsed and become legislation, that is, law.

However, as we see from the nightly television news, our parliaments are theatres where passionate debates are held and question time answers are often set pieces intended as news grabs. Sometimes the atmosphere seems as important as the outcomes delivered. As a result, back benchers are often criticalofthefrontbenchersoftheirownparty,andtheirmoralecanbelow.Thisinturnisreflectedin the media examining how ‘in touch’ the parties might be with community values.

In addition to the passage of legislation, government ministers, MPs and advisers view parliament as an opportunity to:

showcase the achievements in their portfolios•promote the minister’s concern and advocacy for interest groups affected by her/his portfolio •(`constituencies’)discredit the alternative policies of the opposition. •

In addition to their role in negotiating amendments to legislation, opposition shadow ministers, MPs and advisers, view parliament as an opportunity to:

showcase their proposed policies in their portfolios•promote the Shadow Minister’s concern and advocacy for her/his portfolio’s constituencies•discredit the government’s policies. •

The aim of both government and opposition MPs is to highlight their concern and advocacy for the issues in their electorates and, if they are a minister or shadow minister, in their portfolio.

Thissectionwillaimtogiveyouideasforfindingwaystohaveyoursoryourorganisation’sissuestaken into consideration by both sides.

Butfirst,somequickbackgroundoneachoftheparliaments.

In this section, you will:

learn how state and federal parliaments work•what local government does•learn how to contact local Councillors, Members of Parliament (MPs), ministers and •shadow ministersbe introduced to letter writing protocols.•findoutwhatyourlocalMPcando.•

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QUiCK FaCTsThe Victorian state parliament comprises •128 membersAll members are elected for a four-year •termThe • Legislative Assembly or Lower House has 88 members or MLAsEach • MLA represents one electorateThe • Legislative Council or Upper House has 40 members or MLCsEvery 5 • MLCs represent a single `electoral region’ which is made up of 11 electoratesVictoria is committed to having an •election on the last Saturday in November every 4 years. The next election is 27 November 2010No government decisions can be made in •the caretaker period which starts 25 days before an electionOnce legislation is passed by the •parliament it must be signed by the Governor of Victoria before it becomes law.

UndersTandinG ParliamenT and GOVernmenT COnTinUed

THe ViCTOrian ParliamenT

The Parliament of Victoria is made up of:

the Legislative Assembly or Lower House•the Legislative Council or Upper House•the Governor of Victoria, representing the Crown. •

Like most state parliaments, the Parliament of Victoria has two chambers. Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory governments have only one chamber. The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the seat of government and the Legislative Council is the house of review. A member of parliament who is elected to the Legislative Council is referred to as a legislative councillor or MLC. A member of parliament in the Legislative Assembly is referred to as a Member of the Legislative Assembly or MLA.

Parties and portfolios Membersareidentifiedbytheirpartypoliticalaffiliations(e.gAustralianLaborParty,LiberalParty,TheGreensetc.),aswellasbytheirpositionandspecificareasofresponsibility.Oftenthegovernment or opposition is called the coalition because it is made up of two parties. The party or coalition with the most members elected to the Legislative Assembly forms the government. The largestpartyorcoalitionopposedtothegovernmentformstheofficialopposition. There are other smaller parties, groupings and independents – members not aligned to any party - who vote on issues in a variety of ways. Similarly in the Legislative Council, members who belong to the party in government represent the government in that chamber, and those who belong to the opposition represent the opposition.

Keeping orderBothchambershavepresidingofficerswhomaintainorder,overseebusiness,ensureprocedureisfollowed and represent the parliament in ceremonial proceedings. In the Legislative Assembly the Speakeristhepresidingofficer.IntheLegislativeCouncilthePresidentisthepresidingofficer.Theyare MPs who are usually chosen by the government members.

The seating arrangementsThesearethesameineveryparliament.Governmentmemberssittotherightofthepresidingofficerand opposition members sit to the left. When a party loses an election, they change sides. MPs from other parties and independent MPs sit at the rear of the chamber on the right or left of the presiding officeraccordingtotheirpoliticalpreferences.

Cabinet ministersThe party in government selects Cabinet ministers from the MPs from both houses to represent portfolios eg housing or transport. The ministry, or Cabinet, is led by the Premier and Deputy Premier. Ministers sit on the front bench of their respective chambers, facing the opposition’s shadow ministers. They are all referred to as front benchers. Ministers administer and are responsible for one or more public service departments and statutory authorities which relate to their portfolios. The current Cabinet is always listed on the Department of Premier and Cabinet website – http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/.

The rest of the parliament are called back benchers. Some government MPs may also be parliamentary secretaries and play an important role helping Ministers with their executive and Parliamentary duties, such as community consultation and introducing legislation. Government and opposition backbenchers choose their party whips who ensure their members are in the chamber when required, for example, for voting on a Bill.

When parliament sitsIn Victoria parliament sits for a total of about 20 weeks a year, in autumn and spring sittings or sessions. But not for every day of these weeks: rather confusingly, a parliamentary sitting is divided into sitting and non-sitting weeks. In a sitting week, formal business usually occurs on Tuesdays, WednesdaysandThursdays.Startandfinishtimesvary.Youcanfindoutthedaysandtimesthatparliament is sitting by visiting the Victorian parliament’s website http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/sit.html.

Source: Parliament of Victoria website http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/.

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QUiCK FaCTsFederal Parliament• has 226 membersThe • House of Representatives or Lower House, has 150 members The • Senate or Upper House, has 76 membersMHRs are elected for a 3 year term, •depending on when the government of the day calls an electionSenators are elected for a 6 year term •and come up for election only every second federal election.

THe COmmOnWealTH ParliamenT

The Commonwealth Parliament is made up of:

the House of Representatives or the Lower House •the Senate or the Upper House•the Governor General, representing the Crown. •

A member of parliament in the House of Representatives is addressed with MP after their name, for example,JennyMacklin,MP.TheacronymMHRissometimesusedbutisnotofficiallysanctioned.Members of the Senate are referred to as Senator before their name, for example, Senator Helen Kroger.EachMHRrepresentsaspecificelectorateinAustraliaandeachelectoratehasroughlythesame number of registered voters. So states with larger populations have more electorates and therefore more MHRs.

In contrast, membership of the Senate is divided evenly between the states. Each state has 12 senators, and the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory each have two senators. This is to ensure that larger states could not use their majority in the House of Representatives to pass laws that disadvantage the smaller states.

The party with the greatest numbers in the House of Representatives forms government. The largest partyorgroupingopposedtothegovernmentformstheofficialopposition. In each chamber or House, members of the one party sit together. Other parties, factions or independents may choose to sit behind the government or the opposition, or maintain a distance from both. As in the state parliaments,thepresidingofficerswhomaintainorder,overseebusiness,ensurethatprocedureis followed and represent the parliament in ceremonial proceedings; are called the Speaker in the House of Representatives, and the President in the Senate. Similarly government members sit to the right of the President or Speaker and Opposition members to the left. Third party and other members sit to the rear of the chamber.

separation of powersAustralia’s system of government divides responsibilities and powers between the three arms of government. This is known as the separation of powers. The parliament - sometimes called the legislature - works alongside the executive (the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and government departments) and the judiciary or courts to govern the country. The Governor-General representing the Crown formally acts with the advice of ministers through the Federal Executive Council.

The executive is the administrative arm of government. This arm is made up of government employees - the public service – in departments and agencies. The executive is empowered to put into operation and uphold those laws.

The third arm of government is the judiciary. It is independent of the legislature and the executive. It enforces Australia’s laws, and ensures that the other arms of government do not exceed the limitations of their constitutional powers. The High Court of Australia is, as its name suggests, Australia’s highest court.

Cabinet ministersA minister is a member of the legislature who has been chosen to work as part of the executive, usuallywithresponsibilityforspecificpolicyareas.Theministry,knownastheCabinet,meetsregularly to collectively make administrative decisions and direct government policy. The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister and ministers can be drawn from either House. The Prime Minister also serves as Australia’s Head of Government. Ministers sit on the front bench of their legislative chambers (as do opposition Shadow Ministers) and so are often referred to as front benchers.

Members of the government or opposition who are not in the ministry or shadow ministry are referred to as back benchers. They sit behind the Ministers or Shadow Ministers. Party Whips are chosen from the backbenchers of each party. Whips are responsible for ensuring that Members of their party are present in the Chamber when required (e.g. to vote on a Bill).

Thefederalministryisstructureddifferentlyfromthestateministry.Theministerswithsignificantportfolios who form the Cabinet are referred to as senior ministers. Junior ministers are referred to as the outer ministry, and do not participate in Cabinet. Ministers are helped for their portfolio areas by assistant ministers and parliamentary secretaries. Often the Parliamentary Secretary will be from the opposite house to the relevant minister.

When parliament sitsParliament does not meet or `sit’ all of the time. The weeks of the parliamentary sessions are referred to as sitting weeks. For most sitting sessions, the Representatives and Senate sit at the same time and usually from Monday to Thursday. Sitting dates are listed on the Federal parliament website http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/sittings/index.htm.

Source: Parliament of Australia Website – http://www.aph.gov.au

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lOCal GOVernmenT

Local government is the third tier of government and is generally regarded as closest to the people. Althoughlocalgovernmenthasbeeninexistenceformorethan160years,itisnotreflectedinourConstitution.

The local government in each area - the Council or Shire - is a democratically elected body that provideslocalgovernmentforaspecificgeographicareawithinaState.Councilsarearea-based,representative governments with a legislative and electoral mandate to manage local issues and plan for the community’s needs.

local Government servicesCouncil services can be grouped into a number of broad categories:

General public services •Health, welfare and community services •

role of local governmentLocalgovernmenthasasignificantimpactonpeople’slives,asweofteninteractwithitsservicesandresponsibilities – such as roads, rubbish and recreation areas – on a daily basis. It is responsible for implementing a variety of programs, policies and regulations set by state and federal governments. Councils also have to respond to local community needs and have powers to set their own regulations and by-laws and provide a range of discretionary services.

Local laws developed by councils deal with important community safety, peace and order issues such as public health, management of council property, environment and amenity. Often these areas intersectwithstateorfederalgovernmentresponsibilities.Locallawsoftenapplytonoise,firehazards, abandoned vehicles, parking permits, street stalls, disabled parking, furniture on footpaths, graffiti,burningoff,animalsinpublicspacesandnuisancepets.

Composition of councilsSimilar to other levels of government, councils consist of an elected arm (councillors who are democratically elected by the community) and an operational arm (council staff). In broad terms an elected council sets the overall direction for the municipality through long-term planning. It adopts a strategic view of the future it wishes to achieve for its community and makes plans and policies to achieve this. Individual councillors, including the mayor do not have authority to independently make decisions under the Local Government Act. Council decisions are made in formal meetings thatmustbeopentothepublicunlessthemeetingisclosedunderspecificprovisionsoftheLocal Government Act. The operational or administrative arm is responsible for implementing council decisions.

The mayor and councillorsIn Victoria, mayors are elected by their fellow councillors for a one-year term and may be re-elected each year if the council chooses. The one exception is the City of Melbourne, where all eligible voters directlyelecttheLordMayorandDeputyLordMayor(whonominateforofficejointly)forthefullterm of the Council.

The mayor performs an important social and ceremonial role. Opening events, speaking at functions and supporting community groups are some of the civic responsibilities of the role. The mayor also extends hospitality on behalf of the council and the community to visiting dignitaries.

Councils may elect to use either the title “mayor”, or in shires, “president”. Most choose “mayor”. The mayor takes precedence at all council proceedings within the municipality and takes the chair at all meetings of the council at which he or she is present. The mayor also acts as a community leader and the principal council spokesperson. A member of any council is addressed as Councillor, often shortened to “Cr.”, preceding their name in writing. For example, Cr. Susan Riley.

Source: Municipal Association of Victoria www.mav.asn.au & Guide to Local Government – www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/

QUiCK FaCTsThere are around 700 local government •councils or shires. Of these, 539 are regional/rural. There are about 6,600 elected councillors •in Australia with an average of just under 10 councillors per council. In Victoria, there are 79 local councils •and each has between 5 and 12 elected councillors All members are elected for a four year •term. As of November 2008, Council elections are held every four years on the last Saturday in November. State and local government election dates are two years apart.Councils spend around $3 billion annually •to provide more than 100 different services to the communities they represent.Local government is also responsible •for $47.7 billion worth of assets and infrastructure including roads, bridges, town halls, recreation and leisure facilities, drains, libraries and parks.

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ParliamenTary PrOCeedinGs: HOW mPs Use ParliamenT

Question TimeQuestion time is a very spontaneous time. Every day in each chamber, time is set for ministers to be asked questions without notice about their responsibilities by other MPs. So if an issue from a minister’s portfolio is in the news, there’s a good chance she or he will get a question on it. The opposition uses question time to criticise and scrutinise government policy and members. Debate can be heated, heckling by MPs is common and the President or Speaker may eject members from the chamber.

Government back benchers often ask pre-arranged questions known as “Dorothy Dixers” to make the government look good. The minister then might compare government and opposition policies, or criticise the opposition. A government back bencher never asks an opposition shadow minister a question – this would be a waste of question time for the government.

Although debate can be skewed by both sides to `score’ points for sensation value, question time is an important accountability mechanism. To embarrass the government non-government members might leak information. Such information may be gathered in a variety of ways through Freedom of Information requests, Questions on Notice or media outlets. Because ministers can be caught off-guard, question time is a good opportunity for the opposition to put itself forward as an alternative government in a public forum.

Note that an MP may make statements during a parliamentary sitting, which, if made outside the chamber, would possibly be slanderous. This is known as exercising parliamentary privilege. This right has been used in the past to bring to some very sensitive matters to public attention, thus prompting the government to act on the issue.

media coverage of parliamentFrom the press gallery journalists and news cameras can cover both houses of state and federal parliaments. Federal parliament question time is often broadcast on ABC television and news radio. As it often makes the news, the performance of opposition members in question time gives them a chance to help shape the public’s perceptions of them.

HOW GOVernmenTs Use sTaTe and Federal ParliamenT

The best means a government has to make an impact and leave a legacy is to introduce ground-breaking legislation. This is called a Bill during debate and an Act after it has been passed. As well as making structural changes or introducing new regulations and laws to empower society’s citizens or places that need protection, Bills are also there to:

give effect to the government’s vision•deliver the government’s election commitments and demonstrate it is making a difference to •people’s livescreate a political problem for the opposition and distract them•differentiate between the government and the opposition•neutralise an issue, particularly something the opposition may have been campaigning on, e.g. law •and order.

Bills and votingNormally a Bill proposed by the government is guaranteed to pass in the lower house, as this is where the government will have a majority. An opposition does not automatically vote against a government Bill, and will often support government legislation. Members of the major parties are bound by party rules to follow their party’s position on any given Bill. This is referred to as voting along party lines. When a member votes against their party’s position, they are said to have crossed the floor. On some controversial issues, often those which are seen as having moral implications (e.g. stem cell research), MPs might be told there is no party position, that they have a free vote. This is called a conscience vote.

The opposition, or the minor parties whose vote is important to a Bill’s approval, will often attempt to negotiate amendments to a Bill. This can be important for a government to ensure passage of a piece of legislation.

“minister’s language: ‘We have decided to be more flexible in our application of this principle’ means ‘We are dropping this policy but we don’t want to admit it publicly.”

- Yes Minister

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Parliamentary committeesBoth state and federal parliaments have various semi-permanent standing committees made up of MPs from each party. In this forum some of the most important work of the parliament will be achieved.Toexaminespecificissues,fromtimetotimegovernmentsformselect committees usuallymadeupofmembersfromonlyoneofthehouses.Theymayexistforafixedperiodoftime,or until they have completed a particular investigation.

Petition papersPetitions are usually one part of a broader public campaign used by community groups to raise public awareness. Constituents often ask their member to help raise a petition or will present the member with a petition to table in parliament. For a petition to be tabled in parliament, it must meetrequirementsspecifictoeachhouse.ThesearesummarisedintherespectiveParliamentaryhandbooks. The form appropriate to the Victorian Legislative Assembly can be found at http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/assembly/petitions.html.

Parliament receives many petitions and usually they are not taken seriously and not noted. However petitionswithalargenumberofsignaturesorrelatingtoasignificantissuealreadyinthemediacanbe successful. Local MPs can see them as a good opportunity to demonstrate that they are advocating for their local communities.

HansardHansardistheofficial,publishedrecordofeveryparliamentinAustralia.Itrecordsalltheday’sbusiness including everything said by any MP. A PDF version of the day’s Hansard is available approximately three hours after the house rises. You can search Hansard from a link on the front page of the parliamentary websites, or these links below:

For state parliament, visit • www.parliament.vic.gov.au – click on HansardFor federal parliament, visit - • http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/index.htm.

Hansardisagoodwaytofindoutwhatyourlocalmember,ministerorshadowministerisontherecord as saying about your issue or relevant policies.

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WHaT Can a lOCal COUnCillOr Or mP dO?

For you as a local constituent, your local MP is the best avenue to get action from a minister. Your local MP can raise your concerns with the minister or ministers responsible for the issue. Ministers are obligated to ensure MPs work as links between communities and the government, regardless of what party they are from. Local members’ letters to Ministers are often given priority.

Similarly, the councillor representing the ward in your local government area (LGA) is your best link to your local council. There are a number of portfolio areas where the role of local, state and federal governments overlap. Planning is one example, where the local council makes recommendations to the State Government on local planning matters. It is important to know what stage your matter is at so that you can effectively lobby.

While the advice below refers to MPs, the same can be applied to local councillors.

start communicating First, write to your local MP. Try to arrange a meeting of your group of advocates with him or her. This will help the MP understand your issue better. Where it is a practical matter, the local MP usually writes a letter to the relevant agency advocating for your matter to be resolved.

If a meeting is not appropriate or not possible, it should be effective to get a lot of people in your electorate to write personal - not pro-forma – letters setting out the issue clearly. If the issue relates to a Bill to be debated in parliament, ask how your MP will be voting. Also ask them to keep you posted of a response from the minister.

There is more advice in the following sections about how to most effectively run a campaign targeting local MPs.

raising the issue in parliamentLocal MPs can follow your issue up by asking the minister questions via speeches in parliament. BecauselocalMPsshouldreflectthegeneralconsensusoftheirconstituents,youneedtolobbyMPsof all parties. If the issue attracts a conscience vote, remember that MPs then vote as individuals and their voting intentions are not directed by their party.

You can check Hansard to see if they raised a question, or spoke for or against the legislation. Contact them afterwards with your reaction – thanks or regrets.

raising the issue in the mediaLocal MPs will often issue a press release about their proposed action on behalf of local groups and gain some media coverage with you, such as being photographed receiving your petition or standing outside the place of contention. When they are shadow ministers, this is likely to be more intense, as they will be trying to score political points against the government.


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WriTinG leTTers TO COUnCillOrs Or memBers OF ParliamenT

First,findoutwhoyourlocalmembersareinbothhousesandalsotherelevantministerandshadowminister. Depending on the issue, you might have to identify these politicians in both federal and state governments. This will ensure you can tailor your lobbying on an issue. Local members are a terrificavenuetoministers–thiswillbeexpandedonlater.

Ifyouwishtocalltoarrangeameeting,orsendaletteroranemailtoanMPyoucanfindtheirfullcontact details on the relevant parliament’s website from the Resources section in this kit. Below are some tips to keep in mind when writing letters to MPs or ministers.

Where to send it?AllfederalandstateMPshaveanofficeinparliamentandanelectorateoffice.Inaddition,aministerhasathird,ministerialoffice.Ifyourletteristoaministeronanissuerelevanttooneoftheirportfolios,itshouldbedirectedtotheirministerialoffice,notingtherelevantportfolio.Ifitisinregardstotheirroleasalocalmember,addressittotheirelectorateoffice.Alllocalcouncillorsreceive correspondence at the council’s postal address or the council website will list their email address and other contact details.

Writing to state mPs All members of parliament have the title of member. Their name should be followed with MP, standing for Member of Parliament. Ministers in the state parliament should be addressed as `Hon.’, short for Honourable.

For example:

The Hon. Jacinta Allan MP Minister for SkillsLevel 1, 2 Treasury Pl, East Melbourne VIC 3002

Ms. Andrea Coote MLC Member for Southern Metropolitan 306 Bay Street, Port Melbourne 3207

Some upper house members are also entitled to use Honourable before their name. Recent changes by the Victorian Government means newer members may not use it. It is best to follow the terms used in the list of members on the parliamentary website.

The Honourable is a title for life. Retired ministers, former ministers now in opposition and some membersoftheupperhouse,allretaintheuseofthishonorific.Forexample,TheHon.MaryDelahunty.

Writing to federal mPs MembersoftheHouseofRepresentativesusethesuffixMP,whileSenatorsusetheirtitleastheprefix.Forexample:

Ms Catherine King MPMember for Ballarat5 Lydiard Street North Ballarat Vic 3350

Senator Judith TroethSenator for VictoriaLevel 9, 601 Bourke StMelbourne VIC 3000

In federal parliament, only ministers and parliamentary secretaries are able to use the Honourable title. They retain this for life. Members of the Senate are not entitled to this, unless they are or have been, a minister. For example:

The Hon. Julia Gillard MP Deputy Prime Minister

Senator The Hon. Penny Wong Minister for Climate Change and Water

Shadow ministers have their own titles, but are eligible to use the Honourable title only when they are a former minister:

The Hon. Julie Bishop MP Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Ms Margaret May MP Shadow Minister for Ageing


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aCTiViTies FOr UndersTandinG GOVernmenT and ParliamenT

Take a tour of the Victorian Parliament.1. There are free public tours on weekdays when parliament is not sitting. They start at 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 3pm and 3.45pm from the main entrance on Spring St. It is not necessary to book, unless you have a group of 8 or more. When parliament is sitting you can sit in the Public Gallery and watch question time or other proceedings.

Make notes on the themes being pursued by both the government and the opposition. Read Hansard for question time for the week before your tour andthefollowingweek.Howwouldyourorganisation’sissuefittheiragenda?

Watch the evening news.2. Notetheissuesthatthegovernmentandoppositionarefocussingonthatday.Aretheypromotinganewproposalorpolicyideas?Aretheyreactingtoothernews?Ifyouhaven’tgotaccesstoatelevision,useanewspaperinstead.

Try this also after you have been in the public gallery for question time. Can you work out from television news or the newspaper headlines what elementsyourissueswouldneedsothattheygrabtheattentionofeitherthegovernmentortheopposition?

draft a petition relating to your issue.3. Makesureyouincludenames,addressesandsignaturesaccordingtotheformatspecifiedontheparliamentarywebsite. Set up a folder in your email address book for relevant politicians. Set up another for supporters useful to your campaign.

make your own list of local state and federal mPs.4. Using the step-by-step guide in the Resources section of this Kit, get each person in your group looking up their contact details. When running a campaign, you could delegate to ensure every local MP had been contacted by a local constituent from your membership or from other groups. You could then ascertain their level of support or their voting position.

make a list of relevant state and federal parliamentary committees.5. Use these websites: •http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/committees http://www.aph.gov.au/committee/index.htm

Using the pro forma below, make a list of the committees relevant to your issues, their members, and their current program of work.

Federal Committee name

member’s name & party role Current issues

state Committee name

member’s name & party role Current issues

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inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG

inTrOdUCTiOn – Keys TO lOBByinG sUCCess

Historically, the key to lobbying success involves one or more of the factors below. These are the catalystswhichmostoftenpersuadegovernmentsthatreformsareneeded.Theycanbeclassifiedas:

identifying current social needs the government either had not recognised or had refused to •recogniseidentifying new social needs that community-based groups have already recognised and •understoodfromtheirfieldofexperience(e.g.supportfortraffickedwomen)transforming pilot projects set up by inspired individuals or local groups into systemic policy •provisionincreasing the effective use of human resources in social and community settings by pioneering •and integrating new training and new structures shifting existing paradigms by looking at issues through new perspectives.•

Before you start lobbying for a perceived need, ask yourself precisely what the nature of your demand is and line them up against the above categories. You need to have a clear idea of exactly what outcome you want from your lobbying before you start. Determine which of these you need:

Anewprovision,regulationorpieceoflegislation?1.

Achangeinpolicyorpracticeinanexistingprovision?2.

Methodicallyorganisedorreliablyfundedservicesinplaceofinsecureprojects?3.

Moresuitablytrainedstaff?4.

Politicians are lobbied constantly but many of the proposals they receive are too vague and unfocussedtogivethemtheconfidencetheyneedtotakeactionandseeksolutions.Usingtheideasfrom this section, you and or your colleagues should aim to ensure that your proposal is clear and well thought out

WOrKinG COlleCTiVely and sPeaKinG WiTH One VOiCe

Presentingthemostunitedvoicepossibleonyourkeydemandstogovernmentisthecrucialfirstprinciple. Work towards having the widest possible base of support - across interests, agencies and relevant organisations.

Canyouthinkaboutotherorganisationswhichhaveaninterestintheissuesyouwillbelobbyingfor?Try to think imaginatively about possible campaign partners. Even where two organisations have substantial differences of opinion in general, it can be possible to work together if there is consensus onaspecificissueorneed.Useyourstatewidenetworksforcampaignsaroundstateissues,andnational networks if you are lobbying on a federal issue

To focus your group, it is important that every organisation in the lobbying campaign agree on roughlyfiveto10keypointsaboutyourproposal.Eachorganisationcanthenusethesekeypointsasabasisfortheirworkandaddspecialistissuesfromtheirfieldofexpertise.

Topic 2{In this section, you will:

how lobbying works•how to focus your advocacy work to maximise success•some ideas for changing attitudes•practical hints for engaging with MPs.•

CASE STUDY: Maternity Leave win

Governments or agencies can try to place wedges between members of campaigns. you need to be prepared and be creative. For example, in April 2008, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (aCTU) and the australian industry Group (aiG), traditional combatants, successfully joined the Human rights and equal Opportunity Commission (HreOC) to present a united front for a paid maternity leave scheme. Their response to the Productivity Commission report focussed on what all three considered essential – a scheme that was government-funded, minimum of 14 weeks and paid at the level of the federal minimum wage. elizabeth Broderick, Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, hailed “The coming together of these three influential organisations (as) a watershed moment in the long campaign for australia to catch up with the international community on paid maternity leave”.

The result: The labor Government announced in may 2009 that a Paid Parental leave system, government-funded and paid for 18 weeks at the federal minimum wage, would be implemented in January 2011.

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inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG COnTinUed

PraGmaTism VersUs COmPrOmise

You should consider whether your lobbying has been successful, even if every objective was not achieved to the full. Think carefully and strategically: is there is room to negotiate on any of your core points?Whereisthethresholdforcompromisingyourcoreprinciples?

essentials To prepare yourself and your group for a lobbying campaign, keep these eight key points in mind. They should help you stay focussed and disciplined and ensure that your efforts are rewarded in the long-term.

Allocate regular time for lobbying – it is not an extra!5.

Definethetasksinvolved,andthensharethemout.Differentpeoplehavedifferentskills.6.

Co-ordinate and collaborate. Don’t compete. Identify allies in your sector who will work with you. 7. Identify spokespeople for the media who can lead and negotiate the common approach.

Monitor and follow through. Diarise tasks and undertakings regularly and check with the group 8. or groups.

Findfriendsinthepublicserviceandministerialoffices.Theycanadviseontimingyour9. proposal, who to direct it to, how best to pitch, and how to keep it moving with the minister.

Establish a relationship with the shadow minister as well!10.

Remember that lobbying is a long-term process. It may take years or two or more 11. parliamentary terms.

Follow the 12. Byrne 5-Step Scale in Changing Politicians’ Attitudes.

THe Byrne 5-sTeP sCale in CHanGinG POliTiCian’s aTTiTUdes

TheByrne5StepScalecategorisesfiveclassicresponsesfromdecision-makers.Theyaresummarised as:

“Youwantwhat?That’swayout.It’sidealistic.Wewouldnevergetthatthrough”.1. It’s visionary.

“Look, we agree you’ve got a point. We’ve had some similar feedback from other sectors.” 2. There is some public concern. But the timing is not right, it’s premature.

“Look, we agree that there is a need, and that we will have to look at providing this. 3. We just don’t have the resources at this stage.

“You are pushing an open door. We accept that this needs to be done, and it will have to be 4. introduced soon.” The field still disagrees on how to do it – we’ve got six different proposals.

“Everyone agrees that this is overdue.” We are putting out a policy discussion paper. 5. You have four weeks in which to respond.

Thisscaleisbasedonthepremisethatpoliticiansandbureaucratsworkthroughfivestagesbeforethey accede to lobbying demands:

No = it’s visionary1.

No = the timing isn’t right2.

No = we don’t have the resources3.

No=thefielddisagreesonhowtodoit:Getyouracttogether!4.

Yes = We will consult, but with a short time span for submissions. 5.

No campaign can short-circuit this sequence. Social reform doesn’t happen quickly. The decision-makers won’t skip a phase, but sometimes you can help speed up the process.

Advocatesshouldnotacceptthefirstfour“No’s”.YoushouldnotgiveupuntilyoureachStep5.Usethe time between the steps to update your knowledge and your proposal; make it clear that you will not go away!

Successful advocates are those who argue with conviction, passion and persistence, but who remain informed, diplomatic and disciplined.

George Negus: “What’s the difference between pragmatism and compromise?”

Anne Summers: “Pragmatism will involve some compromise sometimes. i mean, for example, if you look at the example of the Sex Discrimination Act in Australia, a landmark piece of legislation, which i wasn’t involved in drafting or getting through. That’s completely susan ryan’s achievement. i was very interested in the fact she was willing to accept a number of compromises to that legislation, for example, to provide exemptions to the armed forces on certain things, to provide exemptions to private schools, to provide exemptions to the insurance industry and so on and so on, to get the legislation through. Over the years, most of those exemptions have been removed. now, in the United states they would not compromise. so they got 100 per cent of nothing and we got 80 per cent of something which is now, over the years, getting up to 90 per cent, 95 per cent.”

– Interview, George Negus Tonight, ABC, 30 Sept 2004

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Use the Byrne 5 point scale to help you determine what stage the Minister and/or department is in considering your issue. This will help decide on the most effective way to present your proposal, so think strategically before you start writing it up.

Are they still at• Step 1 (“It’s visionary!”)?Thenyouneedtomakethewholecasefortheneedandtheprovision.Youneedtoconvincethemthatitisnotjustvisionary,butessentialandjustified.Are they still at • Step 2?Thenyoursubmissionneedsabriefersummary,afocusonwhythetimingmust be now, and why further delay will create problems for government as well as clientele.Are they still at • Step 3?Thendon’twastetheirtimeandyourspushinganopendoor.Putthecasein your proposal’s appendix just for the record, and concentrate on both timing and resources.Are they at • Step 4?Thenfocusonaconsistentagreedmessage.

You can make the gaps between these steps productive. Work on building your campaign, and get your constituency’s agreement to the details: when Step 4 is achieved, you are ready!

Source: Byrne, E., (1996), Empowering Voices in the Community, National Dutch Australian Community Care Conference, Brisbane, Australia.

maKinG THe Case

Pretend you are the government. Make a list of the reasons your proposal should be implemented. When you do this, remember there is a difference between why they should support something and why they actually do. Governments do not act just because a cause is worthy, although this can be a consideration.

Governments will often decide to do something because:

There is a groundswell of public concern which will not go away. • Create this.There is a media debate. • Initiate this.Thereisaneconomicbenefit.• Spell this out.The lobbyist has linked the proposal to an existing government objective or election policy •commitment. Make the link.The political price to the government for ignoring the issue has or will become worse than dealing •with it. Exploit this.

Thiswillbeeasierandmoreeffectivewhenyouhavedefinedyourgoalsveryclearlyanddonecarefulbackground research. It is a good strategy to acknowledge up front what the government is already doing before you criticise it for not doing more!

This should show in your media releases and `backgrounders’. Give brief summaries of key points, as well as detailed papers for background.

Find out roughly what your proposal will cost. Use common-sense arithmetic. Ask this question of your public service contacts, and also an expert, such as a University academic or a pro-bono researcher.

TIP: Tap into pro-bono professionals, via organisations such as Good Company (www.goodcompany.com.au) and Leadership Victoria’s SkillsBank (www.leadershipvictoria.com/skillsbank) – others are listed on the VCOSS website – http://www.vcoss.org.au/clearinghouse/pro-bono-providers.htm. You can also post a listing seeking a volunteer with InfoXchange – http://www.volunteer.infoxchange.net.au

CreaTinG a GrOUndsWell OF PUBliC COnCern: Online media and sOCial neTWOrKinG

Many successful lobbying campaigns have relied on protest activity – rallies, strategic media events and petitions to demonstrate a groundswell of public support about an issue.

The internet, particularly Web 2.0 or second generation websites, which enable dynamic interaction between a site and a site visitor, can help you create a sustained presence of concerned citizens, as well as keep your supporters up to date about your lobbying efforts.

Online social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space and Twitter provide affordable, easy to use networking tools that can help promote your cause and encourage public discussion about your issue. If you can show government 10,000 people supporting your cause on Facebook or 200 people following your event on Twitter, this will help create the groundswell.

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If you have greater funds at your disposal, it may be worth setting up your own internet site, with online based petition mechanisms – such as online e-postcards, direct email to politicians, blogs, Video footage (You-Tube)

Check out Get Up, the online activist organisation that motivates its membership solely through online protest and campaign activity. It sends emails and petitions directly to parliamentarians via email and raises money over the net for strategic cause related media activities.

social networking siteshttp://www.facebook.com/http://www.myspace.com/http://twitter.com/http://www.youtube.com/

Online activist siteshttp://www.getup.org.au/http://www.avaaz.org/en/

COmPlemenTary sTraTeGies FOr WOrKinG WiTH ParliamenTary PrOCesses

The opposition “my mP is a liberal and it’s a labor government. The issue would need a government decision. should i lobby my mP anyway?”

Yes! Particularly if it’s a marginal seat that changes parties regularly. You should lobby your local MP even if they are not a member of the party currently in power, and even where the issue requires a government decision.

Under a Liberal government, it would be just as important for Labor MPs to know of the strong level of support for your issue in their electorates and vice-versa. When a legislation change is tabled in parliament for debate, the opposition parties need to develop their party position.

“But this is a progressive proposal and my mP is conservative”

You should lobby MPs even if you are sceptical about the response you may receive. It is important for MPs to hear from more than one interest group on an issue. If you do not lobby, the MP could argue for an opposing position, because they have been lobbied only by conservative groups. Remember most MPs do try to represent the views of the majority of their constituents.

Conversely, you may engage with the shadow minister. If you are able to convince the Shadow Minister that it is an important issue, she or he may be able to help pressure the government for change.

local mPs and back benchersIt is always a good idea to talk to your local MP who can help draw the attention of the minister or shadow minister to the issue. If your local MP is sympathetic they may even keep you informed about the responses and progress on the issue.

Your local MP can also raise your issue in parliament. This can be done in a number of ways:

By making a member’s statement•By raising it before the annual Public Accounts and Estimates Committee•By raising it during question time - if your issue is controversial and attention grabbing, and the •MP is a member of the opposition.

Remember to check Hansard to see what is said about the issue and whether you can use this statement in future lobbying efforts. Local MPs will often do a media release about what action they are taking. Arrange to receive copies at the same time they are sent to the media. You can get involvedincommenting-andhaveanotherchancetoraiseyourcampaign’sprofile.

Many local MPs now have Facebook and Twitter sites. Join them, follow their activities and contact them online.

Isitastatewideissue?Ifyouareastatewidegrouplobbyingthegovernment,youneedtodemonstrate statewide impact. Fully explain the issue to your members, then visit or organise meetings with other groups or the general public, to bring its personal impact to the fore.

Isitanationalissue?Again,makelinkswithotherorganisationsthatarelobbyingonthesameissue.


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lOCal COUnCil

If the issue is something which affects people in your whole council area, lobby your Ward Councillor to make this an issue which your local council can lobby the state or federal government about. Also look for other councils which share similar characteristics to join campaign forces (eg. coal mining industry towns across Australia galvanised around the Emissions Trading Scheme).

TarGeTinG lOCal mPs

Your campaign targeting MPs starts with a letter writing campaign to local MPs, relevant ministers and shadow ministers. The letters – and emails as they have equal status in government circles – are individual. What they should do is:

Give a background on the issue. It must be brief but also not presume any pre-knowledge •Introduce a personal angle about the impact on the letter writer or their immediate circle•Ask the MP what their stance on the issue is and what action they will take: would they write to the •minister,raiseitinparliament,talktothemedia,orvoteontheissueifitisdebatedinparliament?Request a meeting.•

The personal stories are important. You need to convince the MP that the concern is not coming from ‘professionalactivists’withanagenda.YouandyourcolleagueshavealreadyidentifiedthelocalMPsofbothhousesandhaveplannedwhoandwhenyouarelobbyingthem.Youhavealreadyidentifiedthe key messages that you want each to convey, from your key 5 to10 points: this is crucial to co-ordinating the campaign.

requesting a meetingAlways put your request in writing – an email has the same status as a letter, so will be treated the same. If you’re part of a relevant local organisation, which you have approval to represent, write on its letterhead.

If your local MP is a minister, but this is a local issue, address your letter or email to the electorate officeaddress–seehttp://www.parliament.vic.gov.au.Advisethatafewothersfromthegroupwholive in the same electorate might be coming too. This should increase your chances of a meeting: your issue is representative and you are saving the MP time by not having to meet several individuals.

Suggest a best day or time of a given week, if there is one. and don’t be discouraged if a meeting can’t bearrangedstraightaway.MPsoftenhavefullschedules.Don’tsuggestaspecifictimeanddate.

Doyoususpectthatthemeetingmaybedifficult?Doapre-rehearsalwithmembersofthegroup.Setup a ‘buddy system’ for people to debrief after a meeting.

Following up your request You should be given a date within two weeks, although the meeting might be up to 10 weeks later. If youhaven’theardbackwithintwoweeks,followupbyphoningthestaffattheelectorateoffice.Justgive the date of your letter or email and repeat your request.

Sample: “i’m just following up my correspondence of ….. date, where i requested a meeting with mr/ms …………. about the government’s/……….. party’s policy on ………...” .

What to write in a letter or email? Emphasise that you are requesting a meeting as a local constituent. Include your home address even if you send an email so that they can see you live in their electorate. You should also inform the MP whether you will be attending by yourself or with a group of other individuals from their electorate. Be clear if you are representing a group or organisation.

Sample: “Our organisation would like to meet with you to discuss our support for the government’s changes to the law determining eligibility of iVF treatment” or “We would like to meet with you to detail our opposition to the …….. decision”.

Be clear about what issue you want to meet about:

Include a personal story or angle to show why and how the issue is important to you.

Sample: “We/my daughter/son wish to be able to have children and the current laws discriminate against us”.

“The received wisdom is that if a minister/mP is sent one letter on an issue, staff reply; if they get ten, the minister notices it; if 20 arrive, s/he gets advice; and if the staff receives 40, s/he acts. …The same goes for letters to the editor. if there are one or two, they are of interest. if there are ten, the issue is checked out. if there are more than 20, the papers know there is an issue and maybe a campaign. editors are cynical beasts: if the letters are exactly the same or look like a form letter, they disregard them.”

Kirner, J, and Rayner, M, The Women’s Power Handbook (1999), p. 271


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Youshouldalsoincludeacopyofanysubmissionsyouoryourgrouphasmadetoanyofficialgovernment inquiries on this issue.

attending the meetingThe duration of your meeting will depend on how busy the MP is and how often they are in their electorateoffice.Ministersareusuallyintheirofficenomorethanonceaweek.Generallyyou’llhavearound 30 minutes for a meeting, so get straight to the point. You might like to jot down a few must-cover issues on an index card:

Why this issue is important to you. How you are personally impacted by the government’s current 1. or proposed legislation or position

Whythegovernmentorthepartymustact.Refertosomefactsorfiguresfromreliableresearch2. studies.Isthereoverwhelmingevidencefrompublicsubmissions?

What you would like them to do. Regardless of whether they are a government or opposition MP, 3. ask for an undertaking that your views will be considered when they a) come to develop their own position, based on views expressed by their constituents, and b) put forward their view on what their “party position” will be on this issue.

To conclude, ask, 4. “So what undertakings can you provide to us about actions arising out of this meeting?” At the very least you can hope that they’ll say they’ll consider your views: that is all they are obliged to do.

Let them know that how they vote on this issue will be the key factor as to whether you will 5. vote for them at the next election. This is guaranteed to get their attention. But be realistic: that particularMPmaythinktheyneverhadyourvoteinthefirstplace.


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make a list of potentially supportive local mPs.1. This should cover all parties. Note any reasons you think or know about. See if they can assist you with lobbying ministers.

Write down the aims and objectives of the proposal you are lobbying for.2. Note 3 reasons why change is needed. Which of the categories on the Byrne 5-point Scale doesitfitinto?

make a list of all the points you need to make during your meeting. 3. Practice makes perfect. When the meeting is set, research the MP and her/his party’s position. Role-play with a colleague who can play devil’s advocate, trying to think of as many objections they may have to your proposal. It’s natural to be nervous – but remember, it’s the MP’s job to represent the views of the community – you’re doing them a favour by helping them do their job!

develop a list of potential lobbying partners.4. Think about the organisations in your sector, in your local area, and which your friends and family are involved in. Next, write down the areas where your views are the same and the areas where they may differ.

Potential lobby partners

name of organisation

Contact person & details

similarities

differences

Potential conflicts/compromises

you should by now have a list of partners in your campaign. 5.

Whataretheirstrengthsandweaknesses?Cantheymobilisegrassrootssupportinyourlocalcommunity?Cantheyaccessaparticulardemographiceg.youngwomen,womenwithdisabilities,womenfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds,etc.?Dotheyhavetiestoparticulardecisionmakers,eg.parliamentariansorbureaucrats?

lobbying partners

name of organisation

Organisational strengths

Organisational weaknesses

make a list of relevant ministers, departments and local mPs.6. Whatdoyouknowabouttheirpositiononyourissue?Usemediasources,Hansard,mediareleases,internetsearches,etc.tofindthisout.Includenameandcontactdetailsofapersonfromtheiroffice.ItmightbeusefultogobacktotheByrne 5 point scale and decide where the different groups you’ve examined are at on the scale.

decision makers – mPs, ministers, departments

name

role

Contact details

stance on issue

stage on scale

aCTiViTies FOr inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG

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GeTTinG media COVeraGe

Media is not just an extra to your campaign any more than lobbying. It is important that your board or committee of management understands this. Very likely you will have words like these in your Strategic Plan or Mission Statement:

To promote…To educate…..To raise awareness…OR need to Raise money via donors....Recruit volunteers....Advocate.

Communications and time dedicated to media will be extremely useful in helping advance these goals. Consider enlisting a media student or volunteer to act as the media liaison.

Make “media” a standing item on your board agenda. Having a marketing or media professional on your board may help to encourage the idea that this is just as pivotal as any other stakeholder. In Australia,mostCEOsaresignificantfigureheads(e.g.TimCostello)andspenduptoonethirdoftheirtime on media. Some organisations have ‘promotion of the organisation’s work’ as a key performance indicator for every staff member. This can act as a good incentive for each staff member to be conscious of their part in thinking up story ideas from their own projects.

Try not to see the media as the enemy. Don’t be afraid of it. Media can work for you as long as you align your interests with theirs. There will be times when it will need you. And remember, you have a Fire Escape Plan, so have a Media Crisis Plan.

WHy dO COmmUniTy OrGanisaTiOns need media?

We aim to utilise the media:

To be an advocacy tool (e.g call for statewide reform of mental health services)•To raise concern about the plight of our clients or service users•To raise concern about issues affecting them•To put forward alternative ideas•Torunacampaigntoraisetheprofileofalong-standingissue•For giving local angles to national issues (e.g. national housing shortage and it’s impact on local •refugee women)By suggesting, helping with or writing opinion articles (e.g How breast cancer prevention saves •government money in the long term)By participating in debates (e.g. TV programs like SBS’ Insight)•To promote your excellent reputation – blow your own trumpet.•

UndersTandinG THe media

To get media coverage, you have to align your interests with the media’s interest in a good story. This does not mean compromising, just presenting the right story in the right way to the right outlet. So weneedtounderstandhowthemediaworks.Journalistsneedtofillcolumnspace.Theireditorsexpect them to cover the most important issues happening in the lives of people who are reading their papers: Local newspapers and radio = local issues. State and national media = state and national issues.

Joh Bjelke-Petersen famously referred to ‘doing’ media as ‘feeding the chooks’ – your media release is ‘food’.

Journalists can’t tell their editor and say they’ve got no stories that day. Your job is to make it easier for them, otherwise they will write stories about your ‘competitors’ or just the other side of your story (eg. negative stereotypical stories about refugees or women).

Topic 3{In this section, you will learn:

•Learnhowthemediaworks•Learnhowtoeffectivelycommunicateyourideas•Gainpracticaladviceformediareleasesanddoinginterviews.

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GeTTinG media COVeraGe COnTinUed

Your organisation or project is a ‘worthy cause’ but that doesn’t always translate into your events being ‘newsworthy’. Your media release or issue may be competing with up to 8300 media releases put out daily, and hundreds of readymade, syndicated articles.

This section will explain media deadlines, how to present your story, the importance of follow-up, and the usefulness of different mediums. Don’t forget that the job isn’t done once the organisation puts the media release out – that’s when the selling starts for the media person and organisational spokesperson.

Kinds OF media

newspapers and magazines

Herald sun Has the highest circulation in Victoria. Monday’s edition – full of sport - is Australia’s biggest selling newspaper. Politicians pay such attention to what the Herald Sun is covering; they often use it as abarometerfordecidingwhatsignificant,mainstreamissuesare.Itisimportantforyourmediarelease to get traction here.

The ageUsually has much more in depth on social issues. They should receive your media release before 10 am. The daily news conference is at 11am. The next news conference will be 4pm and then the discussion is mainly about how much space they will be dedicating to stories they mainly knew about at11am.Deadlineby6.30pm,sonighteventsdon’tusuallyworkunlessofstatesignificance.

The australianGetting coverage in The Australianispivotalforpositioningissuesofnationalsignificanceandforlobbying federal politicians. Front page can be held off until 11pm. Canberra press gallery journalists (all papers) report to their editor by 10am. They should receive your media release before 9am weekdays if you want your issue covered in the next day’s papers.

local and commuter newspapers These are free and present a great opportunity to promote local lobbying campaigns. Weekly local papers and city commuter newspapers such as MX, are useful for community interest or quirky stories, especially with photo opportunities. Commuter dailies should receive your media release before 10am.

newspapers and Opinion piecesDaily metropolitan newspapers give people an opportunity to present their point of view, through letters pages or a short feature article. These will be more likely to be published if they are topical. Think laterally e.g. a road support team could write about importance of psychological support after theBeaconsfieldminedisaster.Havea‘proforma’readytosendassoonasaneventhappense.g.oneon the importance of preventative health after a celebrity health scare or research statistics released. Send a 150 word synopsis before you spend time on a full piece. The Age, The Herald-Sun and The Australian all have opinion editors.

magazinesThat’s Life magazine loves hearing success stories. Check their format and ‘frame up’ in the same style – start with a surprise. A feature piece in a women’s magazine such as Women’s Weekly, would reach a different audience: valuable as long as it is consistent with your organisation’s objectives. They should receive your media release a week before their publication day.

in house publicationsYour issues might interest free publications or member publications of peak bodies, unions and associations, for example, an article for the Australian Education Union on refugee students. If you have a newsletter, consider cross-promoting stories with another organisation to reach a wider audience. Add these magazines to your mailout list.

Other issues for print media Bear in mind that inserts in newspapers such as the Good Weekend Magazine in The Age, have separateeditorialteams.Makeyourselffamiliarwithspecificsectioneditors,featurewriters,columnists and radio and television producers by noting names, phone numbers and email addresses from their respective websites OR subscribing to or borrowing a reputable, comprehensive published media guide, such as Margaret Gee’s or Media Monitors’ Media Directory.

“a few days earlier i had read a list of our accomplishments to a group from arkansas who were visiting the White House. When i finished, one of my home staters said, ‘There must be a conspiracy to keep this a secret; we don’t hear about any of this.’ Part of the fault was mine. As soon as I finished a task, I moved onto the next one, without doing a lot of follow-up communications. in politics, if you don’t toot your own horn, it usually stays untooted.”

Bill Clinton, former US President

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radio

morning programs At4ammorningradiohostsandproducerscheckthenewspapers,especiallythefirstfivepages.They often need someone to speak lined up before 9am. Afternoon programs: Drive and talkback react to news. Good items for radio are:

events you want to promote•case studies in summary form •experts who have worked with people in a newsworthy area.•

Practise stating clearly and concisely your organisation’s position on issues, appropriate for a sound bite of eight to twelve seconds. Some sound bites will be run throughout the news cycle.

special interest programsDon’t forget special interest programs e.g. experts for ABC 774’s Conversation Hour, conference issues for Radio National’s Life Matters program, personal stories for 360 (formerly Street Stories), or a 5 minute pitch at the end of Radio National’s PM program on Perspective.

Polite persistence is important. Pitch your story if necessary to three different radio producers until youfindsomeonewhoisinterested.Ifyouarehavingtroublecontactingoneproducer,trychasingone of their colleagues.

Producers should receive your media release the night before for talkback radio and most news services. Weekly programs have longer timelines.

Television News crews are sent out from 10am, so 11am is an ideal time for an event. With advertisements, weather, overseas stories and sport, most main bulletins have only about 10 minutes of local news. A novel angle and great sound bite will be vital to getting your story covered.

Avoid events on Fridays and weekends as usually you will be competing with sport stories.

You can send story tips via the websites of the current affairs programs or suggest stories for documentary subjects to the websites of Australian Story (ABC) or Insight (SBS) programs.

Producers should receive your media release before 9am weekdays or overnight.

Web based publications Several national news and issue websites with sizeable subscription readerships have an emphasis on alternative news or social justice issues, It may be easier to get your story run online than in print as these publications are not subject to the same constraints on space as other media. Try sending your media releases to:

New Matilda • http://newmatilda.com/Online Opinion • http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/ Crikey • http://www.crikey.com.au

new mediaThanks to the internet, the opportunity to promote your cause has become more accessible. Social networking media, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube allow you to promote your activities to a wide, global audience in an affordable and highly controlled manner. These sites do not function with publishing timelines, allowing you to upload content out of hours. You can promote events, link video footage and websites. These sites give you a professional media presence online, without the cost of establishing and maintaining your own website.

media releases and capturing the media’s attentionYes, you do need a media release. Even with a friendly phone contact, the journalist will want something on paper. There are two types of media releases:

A • Pro-active release seeks media coverage for your organisations events, new service, launch of a DVD, new research etc..A • Reactive release responds to a news story to present an opposing or supportive comment, or responds to an announcement.

“solved problems aren’t news. Tell the press a story in two halves - the problem first and the solution later. Then they get a disaster story one day and triumph story the next.”

yes minister

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The media, especially the local (suburban or regional) media thrives on being able to write stories on:

upcoming events at local organisations e.g. launches or openings•asignificantpersonalstoryorthetragicplightofalocalperson•good news stories of triumph over adversity e.g. a breast cancer treatment•milestones in programs or the organisation e.g. the 1000th client, or an organisation’s •20th anniversary.

But the launch isn’t usually enough. You need a current story `tag’, plus include an interesting history ‘backgrounder’.

Journalists are desperate for stories on ‘slow news’ days, especially public holidays and in January. Itisparticularlyhandyifyoureventrelatestothepublicholidaye.g.aMoombafloat,AnzacDaycommemoration, Clean up Australia day, Grand Final.

For events, you’ll have less competition in weeks when parliament isn’t sitting although if it is relevant to something damaging, parliament provides an opportunity for the opposition to scrutinise the government or for the government to highlight its commitment.

Photo opportunities, if any, should be described on your media release. They are great communication tools, but in reality are more likely to be published if they involve young women, or someone doing something quirky. Be conscious of matching the image to the tone of the media release. `Pic ops’ are best if linked to current events or currently debated issues e.g. kids’ soccer matchnearWorldCuptime,ahorseorfashioneventclosetotheMelbourneCup,AustralianflaghijabusedasveilbyMuslimgirlswhentheAustralianflagisbeingdiscussed.

Video Opportunities: ConsiderfilmingyoureventyourselfandpostingitonYouTube.Ifsomethinginteresting or noteworthy happens at the event without press, you then can forward them the footage afterwards.

Test: If you can’t picture the event appearing in the paper, it is probably a good idea to re-think your visuals.

setting up an angleConsider opportunities for the media to play a part in seeking public help e.g. a client needing housing, or help to pay for medical treatment.

Youmayalsofinditusefultoprovidepositivestoriestocontrastthoseinthemediaaboutgroupssuch as refugees or migrants who are often portrayed negatively.

Election years give you the context to bring up issues relevant to that level of government.

Keys TO GeTTinG yOUr neWs and VieWs COVered

Good stories that attract interest integrate your key message with some or all of these elements:

New facts•Human element – personal story to demonstrate impact•Local angle (more later)•Colour and movement in the form of visuals•Interest to readers/audience.•

attention grabbingMake sure you have an interesting and punchy heading or opening paragraph on your media release and also in your email subject-line. These can mean the difference between journalists covering your story or deleting the email without reading it. Try some appropriate dramatic or humorous phrasing. A play on words might be cheesy but it might also help get attention.

Key messagesJournalists have limited time. The media itself has limited space and time to report the news. You have to respect that. Don’t try to detail everything you might like to say. Before writing your release you need to choose the issue which is most important about the item you want the media to cover. Askyourself:wouldmyfirsttwoparagraphsstartastory? Come up with a few clear and concise sentences that summarise why your issue is important. These are your key messages.

TiPs FOr COminG UP WiTH yOUr Key

messaGesWrite down how you would describe to your neighbour your campaign or issue, program, service, upcoming project or event. This will ensure you:

use plain language•don’t presume any knowledge •are aware of how to answer the key •questions: What will this mean for people?Whatimpactwillithave?Whoiseligible?Whyisthisneeded?Howwillthischangethecurrentsituation?Howwillithappen?Howcanpeopleaccessit?

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Early notificationLocalmedia–say,atime-specificeventwithaphotographer–sometimesrequiresatleasttwoweeks notice and is ideally staged on a Monday or Tuesday for the following week’s publication. For the daily media – send a media alert at least one week prior. To increase your chances, always issue a follow-up media release the day before.

Always provide a local angle. Feature a list of people or sample case studies for each local government area. For example, you may distribute a media release around Melbourne about housing shortages and include a case study of a single parent family in Collingwood. Then local newspaper journalists will ring you for a similar case study in their neighbourhood.

Ensure your media releases are up on your website the same day. Make sure your organisation’s spokesperson’s mobile number is on the front page of your release and the media page of your website.

Building up a media databaseAddress emails with your release attached, `attention to the Chief of Staff’ of a large paper or the News Editor of a smaller paper or radio station, and also personalise emails to individual journalists youalreadyknow.Youcanusuallyfindanemailaddressforthenewspaperorradiostationunder‘Editorial’ or ‘Newsroom’ on their website.

Newspapers: Some handy email addresses – [email protected], [email protected]; [email protected], [email protected]; [email protected] [email protected], [email protected]

Ring radio programs - different for morning and afternoon - to get the producer’s name, phone number and email address as well as the presenter: send to Jon Faine and his producer. As you put out your own media releases, you will accumulate your own list of email addresses, phone numbers and contact names.

Cultivating journalistsGettoknowthejournalistswhocoveryourfield.Invitethemtospendadaywithyourorganisationto see ‘a day in the life’ of one of your clients. If they are passionate, they can make great partners. It may be that one of your board members already knows some journalists well. Use them to open doors.

These days, so many journalists are freelance, they have to make their time pay. Don’t take up their time with social invitations that won’t give them a story.

Targeting your media effortsWhichmediadoesyourtargetaudienceread,listentoorwatch?Findoutandputyourmajoreffortinto those areas. The parents whom you want to encourage to take a certain action may listen to commercial talkback, but your potential donors may read the Australian Financial Review. Target both, using different messages that will appeal to each.

some tricks of the tradeTalkback can be done without too many resources but it will be important to ensure your organisation has an effective spokesperson – ideally someone who can describe your issue or event and key messages in 25 words or less. If your target audience listens to talkback radio, encourage your supporters to ring in.

Brief columnists about your research. Regular columnists are always looking for good ideas and research to cite, to keep their writing fresh and interesting. When you’ve got some new evidence to sell your message, call them.

Get versions of the same story up every quarter or year. You could develop a ‘metric’—a set of statistics that can be up-dated regularly to show progress or stagnation in your cause. Your barometer may show that,

Sample: “in real terms spending on …..……… has gone backwards in the last twelve months/3 years”.

Don’t forget the power of the exclusive. Consider giving your story as an exclusive to one journalist who has shown a particular interest in your area, or covered an issue more extensively. Just make sure they are interested so the opportunity is not wasted. You then distribute your release to other outlets, but only after the journalist to whom you are giving the exclusive has gone to print.

And – remember to email and say thanks to journalists who cover your issues.

TiPKnow the journalists who cover your field and areas of interest by checking articles

about your issues on a regular basis.

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COre elemenTs OF a media release/sTOry

Thefirstfewlinesmustbeenoughforalaypersontounderstandwhat’sgoingon. Again, consider how you would describe it to your neighbour.

Newspaper stories are edited from the bottom up so journalists write the most important elementsfirstthenfollowwithotherdetailsindescendingimportance.Agoodmediarelease works the same way.

Paragraphs should be two sentences or less. Use simple words and phrases.

Headline Catchy, concise for interest – bold, larger font. Always include the date and the words media release. Adapt your organisation’s letterhead as a media release template.

Body For the body of the release, use an easy to read font in about 12pt with generous spacing and margins to allow for note-taking.

Cover the who, what, where when and why – just as the journalist writing your story has to.

What?Whatistheeventorstory?Andwhatisitssignificance?Anystatistics?

When? When is this going to occur

Where?Whereisithappening?

Who?Whatistheorganisationorgroupandwhoisrelevanttoyourstory?Ethnicity,age,suburbof people involved. Include a quote from one of the people affected. Consider using a humorous pop culture or historic reference

Why?Whyisithappening?Whywouldresidentsorreadersbeinterestedinreadingaboutthis?

Quotes from a spokesperson: Sample: “……….. is proud to partner with …………….. to host this event, as we pride ourselves on engaging with and providing support and opportunities for ………,” said ……………..

Remember that the person to whom the quote is attributed does not have to have said the thing that you are quoting. The writer of the media release drafts the quote and has it approved by the person being quoted. Your spokesperson must have a copy of your release too, in case they are interviewed.

BackgroundRefer to what else you have done in this area and plan to do in future, e.g. “We have previously run interactive workshops with young women that debunk the media myths and raise awareness of digitally manipulated images that present unrealistic ideals of beauty“.

Contact detailsMake sure that the mobile and landline numbers and email address of the media contact is on the media release, and ensure that they will be available to return calls.

NB. A MEDIA ALERT is used in advance of an event and features a quick summary of the event with who, what, when and where in brief at the bottom of the page.

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Example of media release format

YOUR ORG. LOGO

X ORGANISATION MEDIA RELEASEDate, EMBARGO UNTIL……/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HeadlineCatchy,short,andidentifiesthestoryandposition.

IntroductionIncludethesubjectinfirstsentence,thensummarisetheentirestoryinthisparagraph.Includethekeyelementsof who, what, where, when, why and how.

Body:Whatisnewexcitingordifferentaboutthisstory?Whatbenefitsordisadvantagesaretheretotheprogram/issue/policy/eventthatyouare•focussingon?Whyistheprogram/issue/policy/eventimportant?Whyisitimportantnow?•Whataretheoutcomesoftheprogam/issue/policy/event?Whowillbeaffected?•Quote(s) from your spokesperson, or a table or graph to present your information•Anyotherdetailsyouneedtocover.Ifyoudonotdomediaoften,ordonothaveahighcommunityprofile,includeasentenceortwoaboutyour•organisation and workSum up: reiterate the main point of your release.•

Media ContactName, position or title, phone numbers and email address. If the quotes you have used are attributed to someone other than the media contact, provide that person’s details as well.

X Organisation websiteThishelpsajournalistfindoutmoreaboutyourorganisation.Trytohaveyourmediareleaseonyoursitewithinanhourofdistributionforjournalists who didn’t get your media release but heard about it. It can also lead to stories later on. If possible, provide further information or useful links to help journalists with research.


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disTriBUTinG yOUr media release

Sohowcanyoupresentyourinformationsoitgetsreadandthenprinted?Thinkstrategicallyaboutyour aims.

Ask yourself.Whoistheproject/eventaimedat?Whyandhowisitbeingrun?Andimportantlywhatisitallabout?Showhowitwillmakeadifference.

A picture tells a thousand words.Isthereaphotoopportunity?Sayyouhaveagreateventwithyoung people skating, or performing, or getting together to discuss issues – think about a photo angle.Canyougetaphotoofyoungpeopletogetherdoingsomethingfun?Agoodphotowillalsogetpeople to notice the story.

Finding the perfect fit.Thinkaboutwhereyourreleasemightfitinthepaper

General news. If it is a new program, an opening, a launch•Features.Isitahumanintereststory?•Specialsections:Isthereayouthsection,acommunitysection,avolunteeringsection?•

What’s On. Paragraphs of information can go into this section about an event coming up in the newspaper’s geographical area - especially if they are presented in the newspaper’s style.

Social pages.Doesthenewspaperhaveasectionforsocialpictures?Canyouconvincetheeditortosendaphotographertotheeventforsomecommunitypictures?Orcanyouoffertosendthem2to5picturesandcaptionsfortheiruse?

The covering emailIn the subject line, localise what the release is about – for example, ‘Women in Shepparton/Dandenong/Footscray to celebrate Daffodil Day’.

As well as having the media release as an attachment, cut and paste the whole body of the text into the body of the email, just like any other message. Some journalists may not bother opening the attachment, so you can save them that extra step.

Iftheyopenthee-mailandthefirstthreeparagraphsofthereleasejumpoutatthem,theywillstartreading it. They still need the Word document attached, as they can more easily and cleanly use that to cut and paste from and save for future reference.

Remember the timelines raised earlier in this section of the kit and try to have this out before the deadline.

Fax the media releaseFax the release to the News Editor before 10am. This is a back up, in case the news editor is not there, or in case they have an email problem or if someone else (like a Chief of Staff) is checking the faxes. If you don’t get a response, make a follow-up phone call. Because of the volume of emails received, journalists will not remember every single thing sent to them.

Follow up It’s OK to follow up with a phone call late morning asking if they have received the release and asking whether they would like to chat with you. Don’t take knockbacks personally. Ask for feedback on why a particular story wouldn’t run. Keep it brief and let them get on with their job.

in brief - Checklist

doInclude in the subject line what the release is about.•Include what geographical location it covers.•Include the name of your town or suburb in the subject line or the body of the email •Attribute information and quotes.•Suggest a photo opportunity – if appropriate.•Include contact information for you and the person quoted.•Give a brief outline in the body of the email about your release. Include the full story in a media •release–attachedasaWordorPDFfile.Ifthefinalmediareleasehasbeenthesubjectof“trackedchanges”,thenhaveitconvertedinto •a PDF to prevent them receiving the tracked changes version.Build a relationship with journalists. It is harder to say no to a person you know.•Check your spelling and grammar carefully. Read your media release aloud or have a colleague •check over it for you.


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don’tAttachmultiplefiles–particularlyjpegs(electronicphotos)•Say ‘local person’, ‘local event’, ‘local organisation’ in the subject line or the body of the email.•Use words like “recently” – it’s only news if it’s current.•Make the covering email too long or detailed.•Send out a blanket email to every suburban and regional newspaper if it is not relevant.•

interviews and follow up conversations If interviewed on or off air there are only four rules:

Be interesting! 1. Be brief! 2. Be polite!3. Stick to your message!4.

It is very important to keep these four objectives in mind so that you capture and keep the journalist’s attention. Remember they are very busy people, and are primarily focussed on looking for ‘sound bites’ and quotable quotes for a news story or radio news item. Be prepared to leave out details and background information.

They are after the basics:

Who •What •When •How •Why.•

If you can give them the basic facts, your key messages in short, bright, quotable quotes, you are more likely to get a run. A quotable quote is one that is a bit unusual, or contains an analogy. For example, something like,

Sample: “For our organisation, winning this award is as good as a makybe diva’s Third melbourne Cup win” or “...as good as the rain we had last month”

This will be more compelling for the media than, simply saying that you are proud to have won the award.Ifyouconfidentenoughtryapopculturereference:

Sample: “X company can’t hide behind the Bart simpson defence (i.e. i didn’t do it) they must take responsibility for their actions” or “A Die Hard approach to (x policy problem) won’t work, engaging with the community gets the best results”.

However, if your quote is too clichéd, or if you answer questions in too much detail, they will switch off.Thelongeryourquote,themorelikelyitwillhavetobeeditedtofitintobulletins.Thatincreasesthe risk you will be misquoted or taken out of context, or not get a run at all.

Finally, if a journalist calls you for information, be prepared. If you’re not quite ready to chat, tell them you’ll call them back in two minutes – and call them back in two minutes, with your information at hand and your mind collected. Attention to detail is important. Make sure there is no background noise. If you have trouble with your mobile phone reception, call from a landline.

If they try to take you off track, try to integrate your key messages.

Furthermore, don’t expect the journalist to be convinced of your case just because you are passionate about it. Keep asking yourself:

WHYisthisimportantoneachofyouranswers?•WHATdifferencewillitmakeifwhatyou’relobbyingforeventuates?•


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aCTiViTies FOr GeTTinG media COVeraGe

Come up with three key messages about your organisation.1. Usesimplelanguage.Nowlookovertheadviceabove–canyouimproveittomakeyourmessagesmoreeffective?Polishyourmessages.Ifyouarehappy with them, make them a standard paragraph in your media releases explaining your organisation’s work. Do the same for your organisation’s current key issue.

do your research. 2. Visit the websites of all key media outlets. Identify the journalists writing on areas relevant to your media releases. Note their job title and the sectiontheywritefor.Areallthejournalistswritingaboutyourissuesonyourdistributionlist?

Visit the website of your preferred daily newspaper(s).3. Readsomestories.Paycarefulattentiontostyle,languageandpresentation.Howisthisdifferentfromthewayyounormallywrite?Applytheseobservations in your next media release. You may also try this with a TV news bulletin or radio program.

Brush up your skills as an interviewee.4. Whoisyourfavouritepublicspeaker?Whatdoyoulikemostabouttheirstyle?Whatdoyouthinkyoucanlearnfromtheirmediapresentation?Usethe internet or a library to watch footage of them.

Practise your sound bite out loud.5. Forthisyouneedasmallaudienceoravoicerecorder.Takefiveminutesandwritedownoneofyourorganisation’scurrentkeyissues.Nowreaditaloud and time yourself. If working with others, ask them what they liked and didn’t like. If you’re alone, play back the recording. How would you feelifthisstatementwastheonlyinformationavailabletothepublicaboutyourorganisation?Whatcanyouimprove?Thewritingorthedelivery?Isittoolong?Ortooshort?

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resOUrCes

TOPiC One – UndersTandinG GOVernmenT and ParliamenT

How do I find out about my local Council?By visiting the “Council contacts” page of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) website – www.mav.asn.au–youcanfind:

Findacouncil-enterasuburb,townorpostcodetofindoutwhichmunicipalityitisin•Find a list of councils and current councillors•SeewhereeachcouncilfitsinthismapofVictoria’smunicipalboundaries.•

How do I find out who my local Victorian MPs are?You need to use the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) website – www.vec.vic.gov.au

From the menu on the right hand side select “Enrolment”. 1.

A drop down menu should appear below. Select “Electorate Lookup”. 2.

Enterthesuburborstreetdetailsyouarelookingup,thenpress“find”.3.

This will then give you your District (the Legislative Assembly seat) and your region (the Legislative Council seat).

How do I find the contact details of my local state MPs?ForalistofallVictorianlowerhouseMPsandtheirportfoliotitles,electorates,ministerialofficeandelectorateofficecontactdetails,emailaddresses–visithttp://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlas.html for details sorted by name, or http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlas1.html for details sorted by electorate.

ForalistofallVictorianUpperHouseMPsandtheirportfoliotitles,electorates,ministerialofficeandelectorateofficecontactdetails,emailaddresses–visithttp://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlcs.html for details sorted by name or visit http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mlcs1.html for details sorted by electorate.

How do I find out who my local Federal MPs are?You need to use the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website –www.aec.gov.au

Scroll down to the bottom of the home page. 1.

Under the ‘Tools’ menu, click the option ‘Electorate Lookup’. 2.

Enter the suburb details you are looking up, then click “Find”. This will then give you the details 3. of your electorate.

state ministersA list of current state ministers and their portfolios, as well as the government departments they oversee, is available from the parliament website – http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/minsec.html.

state shadow ministersA list of current Shadow Ministers and their portfolios, is available from the parliament website – http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/shadow.html. The National Party’s list of current Shadow Ministers and their portfolios, is also available from the parliament website http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/national_portfolios.html

Other minor party spokespeople’s portfolios are available from their respective websites.

How to find the contact details of your local federal MPFor a list of all House of Representative members, and their portfolio titles, electorates, ministerial officeandelectorateofficecontactdetails,emailaddresses–visithttp://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm. For a list of all Australian senators and their portfolio titles, electorates, ministerialofficeandelectorateofficecontactdetails,emailaddresses–visithttp://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/index.htm

Youcanusetheseabovepagestofindoutthecontactdetailsoftheministerorshadowminister you are seeking to contact.

TiPYou can use these above pages to also find contact details of the minister or shadow

ministers of both parliaments.

TiPmore useful to you may be a one page

summary with their photos available via www.dpc.vic.gov.au by clicking on

“about Cabinet”.

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Federal ministersA list of current federal ministers and parliamentary secretaries and their portfolios is available from the parliament website – http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/42/ministry/ministry.htm

Federal shadow ministers A list of current shadow ministers and their portfolios, is available from the parliament website – http://www.aph.gov.au/whoswho/index.htm

Minor party spokespeople’s portfolios are available from their respective websites.

ministerial or shadow ministerial advisers As a stakeholder in your sector and hence the minister’s portfolio, you should also seek to establish arelationshipwiththeminister’sadviser.Thiscanbedonebyjustringinguptheminister’soffice(using the parliamentary websites above) and seeking an informal coffee or formal meeting with them. You can use this meeting to:

Introduce yourself•Your organisation’s issues•Your organisation’s ideas/solutions•Concerns about the government’s/opposition’s current or proposed policies.•

The ministerial adviser’s role is to convey your concerns to the minister/shadow minister in between your own meetings/contact with their minister. They can play a crucial role in maintaining the influenceofyourorganisation’sissueonthegovernment/opposition’sagenda.

Composition of current parliamentsYoucanfindthedetailsofhowmanymemberseachpoliticalpartyhasineachparliamentandthegender of those members by visiting the Parliamentary Library website: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/pol/polwomen.htm

resOUrCes COnTinUed

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TOPiC TWO: inTrOdUCTiOn TO lOBByinG

Parliament HouseHereyouwillfindinformationabouttheworkingsofparliament,whothecurrentministersare,former and current local members of parliament, and you can do research on the legislative agenda of the government, and what individuals have said through Hansard.

Victorian parliament: www.parliament.vic.gov.au

Federal parliament: www.aph.gov.au

Political partiesMostpoliticalpartieshavewebsiteswhereyoucanfindinformationaboutkeyinternalpartyleaders,policy documents, and often lists of recent media releases by ministers or shadow spokespeople on most issues:

Australian Labor Party: www.alp.org.au and www.alpvictoria.com.au

Liberal Party of Australia: www.liberal.org.au and www.vic.liberal.org.au

Nationals: www.nationals.org.au and www.vic.nationals.org.au

The Australian Greens: http://greens.org.au and http://vic.greens.org.au

Australian Democrats: www.democrats.org.au (Federal only)

Democratic Labor Party: www.dlp.org.au (Victoria only)

Family First Party: www.familyfirst.org.au(Federal only)

Fitzgerald, Julian, lobbying in australia: You can’t expect anything to change if you don’t speak up!, Rosenberg Publishing, 2006.

TOPiC THree – GeTTinG media COVeraGe

Build up your own media contacts list, using the email addresses from within this booklet as a basis. Also check out the ACTU National Directory. It has all media outlets across the country. It can be obtained via or access the online version http://www.directory.actu.asn.au/

The OurCommunity website has many useful hints about media and marketing targeted at not-for profitorganisations.http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/marketing/marketing_main.jsp

Social Change Media, a media company with a focus on community organisations have a number of helpful resources on their website: http://media.socialchange.net.au/using_media/Contents.html

Checkoutthemediaandmarketingresourcescollatedbythenot-for-profitnetwork: http://www.nfpn.com.au/marketing_resources/

Many media companies provide training services – mostly expensive. Keep an eye out for other communityorganisationsrunningmediatrainingworkshopsandifyoufindany,askwhethersomeone from your staff could attend. Alternatively consider sharing the cost of media training with other organisations in your area.

Consider contacting one of the Media and Communications, Journalism or Public Relations TAFE or university courses to see whether they offer their students internships. Contact the co-coordinator. Your organisation’s project might be appropriate for them. You could help a student polish vital skills andgainjobexperience,andinreturn,youwillgetthebenefitoftheirskills.

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© 2009 Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust.

This material is based on the intellectual work of EMILY’s list which has been further developed and published by the QV Women’s Centre.

This material may be printed in hard copy by women and women’s organisations for their use only, but must not be otherwise reproduced, published, communicated to the public or adapted.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the correctness of the information, before relying on the material you should carefully evaluate its accuracy, completeness and relevance for your own purpose.

ISBN 978-0-9805838-1-6

Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust Level 1, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 p: (03) 8668 8100 e: [email protected] www.qvwc.org.au

Documents

Working With Government Kit - 2009