Four major steps for a successful lobby visit

Four major steps for a successful lobby visit

1. Choose a specific action you want your Parliamentarian to take and plan the visit. 

Get more information about the issue you care about, use QPLC action alerts and discussion papers or contact us about issues at the national level.  You don’t need to be an expert – the office wants to hear your story and how the legislation will affect voters like you.  Think of your various ‘hats’: Quaker,  care provider for elderly parents or children/grandchildren, local business owner/supporter, member of bushwalking group, etc.

2. Get in touch with your Parliamentarian/State Assembly/Local Councilperson or their staff.

And ask how to submit a visit request to the scheduler.

3. Go lobby using the Lobby Road Map.

a) Focus on building a relationship, not just the specific Ask.  Start by saying thank you for something, seek common values and listen.  This will allow you to gain more rapport with a Parliamentary office over time.  Keep in mind that during the course of their careers staffers are likely to work with several elected representatives, so building a good relationship is a worthwhile investment.
b) Make one Ask.  You only have a short meeting, so in order to be most effective with follow-up, try to focus the meeting on one issue and one Ask.  Members of your meeting can always schedule another meeting on a different topic if need be.

c) Speak from your experience.  Remember that you definitely don’t have to be an expert to be effective. All you have to do is speak from your experience and ask questions. Offices can access a range of facts, but what they can’t hear from anyone else is the heart of why the issue matters to their constituents.

d) Bring a fact sheet to leave behind, a one-page document which has your Ask written out, along with contact details for your group and useful information.

4. Follow up with the Parliamentary office and let QPLC know how things went.

The Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee gratefully acknowledges the Friends National Committee on Legislation Lobby 101 and Go Lobby!, upon which this Australian version is based.