Take action

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Politicians often take notice of grassroots campaigns, making them very effective. If you feel strongly about an issue, but are not sure where to start, explore the links below for some ideas on how to organise a campaign.

Federal members of parliament
House of Representatives
Senate
The Prime Minister

State members of parliament
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia

Local councils
The Australian Local Government Association provides a list of local council websites around the country.

Getting support
Before you start, research your issue to make sure you are across it and that you know exactly where you stand. Check if other people support your point of view.

Knocking on doors is a good way to get yourself known and allows you to appeal to people in your local area on a personal level.

It will be easier to start talking to someone if you have something to tell them about, such as a petition, a demonstration or a meeting.

When meeting people, say who you are and what your campaign is about, explain why your issue is important, say what you hope to achieve, explain why you need their support.

Contact other organisations
Other organisations offer pre-existing networks of support. They could provide activists or give financial support.

Consider local businesses, schools and youth clubs, local political parties, councillors and your MP as well as other groups which share your concerns.

National charities and lobbying groups might also be able to help.

Set up a group
If you find other people share your concerns, set up a group to share the workload and maximise the impact of your campaign.

Other people might be able to bring more skills, interests, time and materials to help you lobby influential people and gather support for your campaign.

Before getting started, make sure the issue is substantial enough to warrant a campaign – do your research and know exactly where you stand.

If there are any existing groups fighting for the same cause, perhaps you can join together to make the campaign more effective.

A campaign with broad public backing is much more likely to receive attention from the media and officials, especially councillors and MPs.

Getting your group organised
After gaining initial support for your campaign, hold a meeting to decide what your objectives are, allocate roles for your group members and draw up a constitution.

Identifying your objectives will help you set specific and tangible goals. Choose a name for your group. This should be punchy and get your message across.

When allocating roles, it is a good idea to match skills to jobs and make sure people are interested in what they are doing.

Define the scope of each role to avoid confusion over what is expected of people. Positions could include campaigns co-ordinator, group organizer, publicity officer, membership secretary and treasurer.

Drawing up a constitution will allow you to work out how you are going to reach decisions. Draw up some basic rules about how your group should be run and the responsibilities within it.

Communicating
Decide how you want people to get in touch with the group - you will need a postal address, an email address and a phone number. You could consider setting up a private post box at Australia Post rather than using your home address.

A campaign website would provide a public face and enable people to get in touch more immediately.

Use the media
As well as trying to get journalists to write about you, you can also send letters to the letters page or consider advertising. Papers and magazines sometimes include listings at no charge.

Write a press release
A press release should inform the media about what is happening at your organisation.

It should be clear, accurate concise, newsworthy and focused on an event that your group has organised or something that you have done.

If you are writing a press release about an event you have organised, you need to say what the event is and where and when it is taking place.

You also need to explain who you are and why you have organised the event.

Make sure you identify the document as a press release and ensure you provide your name, phone numbers, email and website address.

Adding quotes from people involved in your campaign will really help liven up your release, but make sure they are concise and relevant.

Press releases should be sent to news editor at the relevant media organisation.

Posters and leaflets
Handing out leaflets or placing colourful posters in local shops, libraries, leisure centres and community halls are an inexpensive way of getting publicity and attention.

A leaflet should be informative and concise.
Make sure you have told people who, what, where, why, and when. Remember to include contact details.

It is important to remember that everything you print has to be legally correct. You must not libel anyone in your leaflet.

It is also an offence to hand out leaflets that are threatening, abusive, insulting or intended to stir up racial hatred.

Make sure you have a plan to distribute your posters and leaflets and that you have checked council by-laws relating to posting bills.

Organising a petition
A petition is a formal request made to your local, state or federal government or another authority or organisation.

A petition will give concrete evidence of support for your campaign and can provide you with a database of sympathisers.

Petitions can influence a decision, although they have no legal force. No-one is legally bound to do anything requested in a petition no matter how many people sign it.

One of the first decisions you need to make is who the final petition is going to. Keep the wording of the petition short and direct, and make sure you address whoever you are petitioning, write a short statement of the problem, use the phrase: 'we the undersigned…' and clearly request what you would like done.

You should indicate who has organised the petition, include the name and address of everyone who signs and make sure each sheet of signatures has the request written at the top.

Once you have decided to stop collecting signatures you should count how many you have.

If you are gathering several forms together you cannot copy people's signatures or addresses across onto another form, or cut them out and stick them on another sheet. You can not hand over photocopies either, it must be the original petition.

You should be handing your petition over to the person who can help you achieve maximum success - it could be an MP or local councillor or even the prime minister.

Think of the best way to make a public event of handing over your petition. Invite press and photographers along to get maximum publicity for your campaign.

Once handed in, it might take time before you get a response to the petition. It will need to go through the official channels - but make sure you keep in contact with the office with which you have lodged your petition to stay up to date with its progress.

Organising a demonstration
If a demonstration is the right way to get your message across, a successful event can be a very strong and powerful way of getting new support and media attention.

On the other hand, demonstrations sometimes attract unwanted troublemakers and strong opposition. A poor turnout might suggest you have limited support for your aims. A noisy demonstration, may alienate more 'moderate' supporters.

Depending on what you want to achieve, you could hold a march, a vigil or a public meeting.

You will need to advertise in advance and have an easily-accessible venue and you may also need police permission.

A public meeting can raise awareness, raise funds through collections, show the level of support locally, and provide a chance to discuss your campaign with any opposition

A vigil is when people stay awake during the normal hours of sleep for some special reason or cause. A vigil works best when it is silent or quiet, held in a high-profile public venue – such as outside the home of a decision-maker - and lasts for several hours.

Marching through a town or city can bring your protest to a wider audience than holding a meeting or demonstration in one place. Marches work well if they have a focus at the end, or if marching has a specific purpose.

Make sure you have publicised your event well in advance and have complied with all necessary police and council regulations.