Write a Letter to an MP

How to write a letter to your MP

The first thing you want to think about is the length. Make sure you’re clear and concise. No more than 2 pages, but ideally your letter is just one page long.

Introduce yourself and make sure to note if you’re a constituent. It is always better to email your local MP than someone else’s.

Explain the issue you are raising and outline why it is important to you. It can be helpful to include a personal experience of yours. You want to make it clear why these policy changes, and climate action more broadly, should be a priority for your MP.

Sign off with your name and contact details. It can be helpful to include your suburb as a reference for what part of their electorate you live in.

Tips

• If it’s your first interaction, make sure you include details about yourself. If it’s not, it’s good to reference an interest you share or a past interaction.
• Say something positive about what they’ve done, if you can.
• Be clear on what you want your MP to do and commit to.
• If your MP is, or once was, a Government Minister, they are given the title, ‘The Honourable’. This means you would address them as follows: ‘The Hon. Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr First Name Last Name MP’.

An example letter

Date

Dear [MP Name],

My name is [your name] and I farm at [where you farm/what you do]. I’m a constituent in your electorate of [name of your electorate].

[Say something positive about something they’ve done, if you can, e.g. I appreciate how you spoke about xx, I value that you spoke at a certain community event].

I’m writing to you today because I’m one of more than 8,400 supporters of Farmers for Climate Action, the only farmer-led organisation advocating for ambitious climate action both on and off-farm. We are calling on federal politicians to get behind the policy changes that will enable farmers to supercharge their contributions to the clean energy shift. These changes will make their businesses more profitable and resilient in a changing climate, and reduce pressure on the grid. They are to:

• Stop preventing farmers from using the energy they generate across their whole property, including across different property titles.
• Upgrade the old local poles and wires holding regional Australians back from fully benefitting from the energy shift.
• Deliver support for batteries for all farmers to use the energy they produce when they need it most.

With the right support in place, clean energy presents a once in a generation opportunity for farmers and farming communities. This is an especially important issue to me because [include a personal experience, if you can].

To find out more about what needs to be done, please go to the Farmers for Climate Action website at farmersforclimateaction.org.au/campaigns/the-quiet-majority-campaign-2/.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name and contact details]