Find out who they are

You can easily find out who your local politician is and which electorate you live in in the following ways:

Federal MPs

• Find out your Federal electorate and your MP on the Australian Electoral Commission website: http://www.aec.gov.au/esearch/main.htm 
• Find out more information about Federal MPs on the House of Representatives website: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm 
• Phone the Australian Electoral Commission on 3834 3400
• Phone the ASU office on 3252 8666

Federal Senators

• Queensland as a whole is represented by 12 Senators. Find out who they are on the Senate website: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/homepages/s-qld.htm 
• Phone the Australian Electoral Commission on 3834 3400
• Phone the ASU office on 3252 8666

State MPs

• Find out your State electorate and your MP on the ASU website: http://www.qld.asu.net.au/lobbying/ 
• Phone the Queensland Electoral Commission on 1300 881 665
• Phone the ASU office on 3252 8666

Local Councillors

• Find out you local Council area by visiting: http://www1.dlgp.qld.gov.au/lg-contacts/councilsearch.asp 
• Contact your Council to find out who your Councillor is and how to get in touch with them
• Brisbane City Councillors are listed here: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about_council/councillors/index.shtml 
• Phone the ASU office on 3252 8666

Do some research on your local politician

The more you know about your local representative the better you will be able to lobby them. Try to find out any particular interests they may have – you should be able to access a brief biography online at the Parliament / Council website. They may also have a more detailed personal website.

Importantly, you should find out if your local politician is a Minister or Shadow Minister. In the case of Ministers, this means they serve as members of the executive arm of government and administer the various government departments. In the case of Shadow Ministers, they are senior members of the Opposition who represent their party on policy and administration in their area of responsibility.

A full list of Federal Ministers and Shadow Ministers can be found at:
http://www.aph.gov.au/whoswho 

The Federal Parliamentary Handbook also includes biographies of federal politicians:
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/index.htm 

A full list of State Ministers can be found at:
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Meminfo/minlst.htm 

A full list of State Shadow Minister can be found at:
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Meminfo/sh_minlst.htm 

You should also try to find out what Parliamentary / Council Committees your local politician may be on. This can help you decide what assistance you seek from them, as committee members may be able to provide additional help that other politicians can’t. Again, this information can usually be found in their online biography on the relevant Parliament / Council website.

If you want to target a particular committee that has responsibility for the area of lobbying you are interested in, you can find complete lists of members at:

Federal House of Representatives

• http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/index.htm

Federal Senators

• http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/index.htm

Queensland Parliament

• http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Committees/

Brisbane City Council

• http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about_council/council_meetings/council_committees.shtml

Other Councils

• Check their website or contact their offices

As well as targeting your local politician, it is also worthwhile lobbying the Minister or Shadow Minister whose portfolio is responsible for the issue you are campaigning on. You can try to meet with them directly, write to them, or ask you local politician to contact them on your behalf.