alt Hacker NewsHeya, fellow Aussie here. Have you ever tried contacting your local MP?
I was cynical at first like you, thinking why bother. But when I tried it, turned out I was wrong and I actually had a pretty good experience!
The way I see it now, is that MPs aren't always in a good position to get close to the facts, so when you get in touch and tell them what you think.. you're actually giving them a huge gift.
It can actually be pretty effective, especially for state/local issues. For federal stuff, sure, might not be as good, but you'll at least get some satisfaction from getting an acknowledgement from their chief of staff or secretary.
Replies
I contact MP's, I make submissions to parliament and I email media companies. I have done since 2017. You used to be able to google my name and get a bunch of hits for pdf submissions on aph.
Its done exactly squat.
>MPs aren't always in a good position to get close to the facts,
Pocock was repeating data centre noise concerns, but refuses to simply hold a press conference on the street outside of his local to demonstrate them. Facts are not desirable for parliamentarians, they routinely get in the way of business.
Another Australian here too.
Yes, contacting your MP and senators can be very useful, including for federal stuff.
It's harder to actually get meetings with Federal members (they spend a lot of time in Canberra) but still worth trying.
Also it is very effective to vote for independent senators. You need to pay careful attention to make sure they aren't secretly insane but senators like David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie are very effective (Lambie seems crazy sometimes but she is surprisingly willing to change her mind on issues).