| How
to approach federal politicians
Home > Resources > How to be an effective advocate > How to approach federal politicians
When we see our elected representatives on television
talking about all sorts of things, it's sometimes hard not to think
of them as too important to meet ordinary members of the public.
But when ordinary people actually meet these politicians,
we realise they are very approachable, and take an interest in the issues
that concern us. It's easy to take a cynical stance and believe that
the only reason they take this interest is because they recognise that
we vote them into - or out of - office. And while this is true, politicians
of all stripes want and need to know how their constituents feel about
certain issues. They are therefore willing to take the time to meet
and hear what ordinary people have to say about things important to
them.
Still, this doesn't mean we can charge into our local
member's office and expect to change the world! The first thing we have
to do is a little research about the parliamentarian we want to approach.
The Australian federal parliament is divided into two
chambers - the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each member
of the House represents one electorate. As such, these politicians tend
to be focused more on local issues than international affairs. If their
electorate has a high number of a particular ethnic or cultural grouping,
that politician will be concerned about issues important to that group.
If you don't know in which electorate you live, click here.
While it's not exactly disingenuous to visit members
of the House that don't represent you, it is better for the purposes
of your meeting to meet with your federal member. If you know in which
federal electorate you live, but aren't sure who represents you, click
here.
Senators, on the other hand, represent a whole state.
As such, these politicians are much more likely to have the time and
inclination to be concerned about issues such as the Arab-Israel conflict
and Australia's position on it. For a list of senators by state, click here.
Once you've decided which politician you're going to
visit, you should do a little research about that politician. The website
for Australian Parliament House provides all the information we need
for this purpose. The first thing to do is go to that politician's webpage
on the Parliament House website. Do that by clicking their names on
either of the House or Senate lists of members. On each politician's
webpage is a section entitled 'links.' Under this is an option entitled
'First Speech.' It's definitely worthwhile reading any politician's
maiden speech to Parliament. Nothing will tell you more about a politician's
motivations for joining Parliament, their passions in life or the major
influences on their life. This speech will also usually allow you to
guess whether or not this politician is (or claims to be) a practising
Christian.
Next - and this is the last step - you'll want to search
Hansard for that politician's references to Israel (or any other matter
of interest to you). Hansard is the official record of everything said
in parliament - all the speeches made by politicians.
Searching Hansard is easier than one may think at first.
Click here for Parliament House's guided search.
In the drop-down menu under Step 1, choose 'Speeches
by a Senator or Member.' Then click the option that says 'Load Guided
Search.'
Under Step 2, choose the member or senator you have
in mind.
Under Step 3, choose the three top options (i.e. Speeches,
Questions and Responses)
Under Step 4, write Israel, or any other item you're
interested in.
In the date range, enter any date range you like. For
instance, type, in the 'from' section, 01/01/1901. Obviously, the politician
in question won't have made any speeches from before he or she was in
Parliament, but by writing in the early date, you'll ensure that you're
not missing some of their time in Parliament.
Click 'Search' and see what the results bring you. Don't
be surprised if a politician has never said anything about Israel. Other
politicians will have said a great deal.
Once you think you know a little about the politician
and where he or she may stand on the Arab-Israel conflict, ring
their office to arrange a meeting. Be sure you suggest a date
when the politician will be in town. During sitting weeks, all
politicians are in Canberra. For a list of sitting dates, click
here.
If the person answering the phone asks you why you'd
like to see the politician, don't feel you should hide your reason.
(If you get to the meeting and suddenly launch into a lecture about
Israel, the politician might feel as if she or he has been ambushed).
Say that you are represented by that parliamentarian and want to see
what the politician's position is on some issues that concern you, in
particular the Middle East and the Arab-Israel conflict.
When you go to the meeting, it's best to go with one
other person. If you go in a group of three or more, things in the office
might get a bit crowded and conversation might wander off topic too
easily. And if you go alone, the conversation might not head in the
direction you originally wanted it to go. A second person will help
to back you up if you can't think of what to say momentarily, and will
help keep the conversation on track.
Before you go to the meeting, try to work out with your
partner the one or two main points you'd like to impart.
Try to approach the meeting in the frame of mind that
you want to find out about this politician's stance, as opposed to you
wanting to tell the politician what to think. (After all, no one likes
to be told what to think!) During the meeting, the politician will ask
you what your views are, which is when you can say what you think.
And what are your views? We all hold differing
views about specifics of the conflict. As such, in these meetings,
while we encourage you, should you see fit, to mention ACSI, be
sure to point out that you are there as an individual and not
actually representing any one group.
Christian politicians will be amenable to having Biblical
reasons for supporting Israel provided to them. Secular politicians
will no doubt nod politely, but won't agree with them. Think of a Muslim
using Muslim theology to convince you of anything - it wouldn't
work! If you're visiting someone who you think is secular, you certainly
shouldn't hide the fact that you support Israel in part because of your
Christian faith. But also have handy a number of 'secular' facts about
Israel that help you in your argument.
Politicians are very good debaters. If your meeting
with the politician goes pear-shaped, or if he or she seemingly
defeats all of your arguments, don't become too disappointed.
Rather, write down the arguments you felt weren't delivered well,
or the reason the politician gave for not agreeing with them.
You'll be able to think of other ways to get your message across
the next time. Alternatively, send
in your notes to ACSI and we'll see if we can give some advice. Better yet, discuss your meeting on ACSI
Forum. Not only will this help others who are thinking of meeting a politician, but those who already have can give you their advice.
If you think the meeting went relatively well, great!
Plan to arrange another meeting in two or three months. Before the next
meeting, do another search through Hansard - you might find your meeting
convinced the politician to make a speech, or ask a question in Parliament
about Israel or the conflict.
Finally, if the politician was completely unresponsive
and hostile, then that's fine, too. Some politicians are anti-Israel
and there isn't too much we can do about it. At least they'll
know that there are people in their electorate that thoroughly
disagree with their stance on that issue. It'll give them reason
to think.
Good luck!
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