Writing Letters to the Editor

Elected officials carefully monitor newspapers, and other forms of public information sharing to gauge local opinion.  By mentioning your Parliamentarians, State Assembly representatives or Local Council by name and stating the specific action you would like them to take, you can guarantee that your letter will catch the attention of your elected representatives.

Keep it short

Try to keep your letter between 100-200 words or less and focus on a single issue.  Start by stating your main point and why the issue is important to you (what impact does it have on the local community).  Provide facts, quotes and numbers next and then wrap up by restating the point and make your recommendation.

Respond to a news story

Open with a specific reference to a recent news story, editorial or previous letter.  Aim to respond before 1pm on the day of an issue arising (aiming for publication the following day).  Try to react to articles or letters in the paper, but sometimes letters to the editor can generate some discussion/debate in the letters page, so don’t rule out that possibility.

Make a local connection

Your letter will be of more interest to editors of your local paper if you highlight the local impact of a national or foreign policy issue.

Demonstrate your reach

If you know that your opinion also represents that of others, be sure to mention it. 

Consider your options

Most letters can be sent to many newspapers, but letters editors are not likely to publish a letter if they know it has been sent to lots of newspapers, so use the blind carbon copy (bcc) option.  Don’t forget suburban or neighborhood publications, specialized local magazines, ethnic press/media, religious publications (including newsletters) and university media.

Practicalities

Check your spelling, write in the body of the email (not an attachment), if you are responding to an article/letter, make sure to mention it in your letter  (‘I would like to correct the figures in Susie Smith’s letter of March 26’).  You may want to cc or bcc your local Member or others and make sure to include your name and best daytime contact details if the editors want to check some information.

The Quaker Peace and Legislation Committee gratefully acknowledges the Friends National Committee on Legislation Write Letters to the Editor upon which this Australian version is based.

What is a submission?

Parliamentary inquiries are   undertaken by the parliamentary committee with relevant responsibility.  While the committee will seek expert advice, it will also seek the views of members of the public. This can be done through written submissions, public hearings, roundtables, forums or other community engagements.

This is an opportunity for individuals or groups to share their experience, advice and knowledge with the government. 

Why should I write one?

Information from submissions is analyzed and becomes part of the Inquiry Report which is tabled in Parliament. 

Even the numbers of submissions received by the committee is seen as an indication of public awareness, anger or support of the particular topic. 

The Government responds to an Inquiry Report either by presenting a written response in Parliament, or if it’s a bill inquiry, by discussing the report in parliamentary debate on the bill.

How do I do it?

There is no set format for a submission.  It can be long or short, or even in audio visual format.  Each inquiry has its own Terms of Reference, and it’s critical that the submission focus on the Terms of Reference for that Inquiry only. Each Inquiry has a dedicated webpage with information about the inquiry history, closing date for submissions (including extensions), dates of public hearings (past and upcoming), Terms of Reference, media releases, committee home page and contact details for the Committee Secretariat (see link below).

The best submissions:

• clearly address some or all of the terms of reference—you do not need to address each one
• are relevant and highlight your own perspective
• are concise, generally no longer than four to five pages
• begin with a short introduction about yourself or the organisation you represent
• emphasise the key points so that they are clear
• outline not only what the issues are but how problems can be addressed, as the committee looks to submissions for ideas to make recommendations
• only include documents that directly relate to your key points
• only include information you would be happy to see published on the internet.

Submissions that include complex argument, personal details or criticise someone may take the committee longer to process and consider.

What about my privacy?

It’s important to keep in mind that submissions are part of a common public record and are published on the Parliamentary website. Signatures and personal contact details are removed prior to publication (it’s best to include such information only in a covering letter and not in the submission itself).  If you feel that you must provide the submission anonymously, you need to be clear and provide a reason when you upload or send the document.

How do I know an inquiry is happening? How do I find Terms of Reference? 

Public inquiries are considered a critical part of the democratic process. There is a lot of useful information on the Australian Parliament House website.

Place to start: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees

Click either:

• ‘Current public Inquiries’ which will include those Inquiries where submissions have closed, but the inquiry process is not concluded OR
• ‘Open public submissions’ which are those Inquiries which are still taking submissions OR
• ‘Upcoming public hearings’ – Inquiries where the public hearings haven’t taken place

The Open Public Submissions aka ‘Inquiries Accepting Submission’ page lists all Senate, House and Joint Committees accepting submissions, listed by closing date.

When you find the right inquiry (or the topic you’re interested in) click the Inquiry title and you’ll be taken to the dedicated page for that Inquiry.

The page will give you:

• Closing date for submissions, including any extensions
• Terms of Reference for the inquiry
• All the submissions, usually as they become available – by clicking on ‘submissions’ on the right margin. At the top of the ‘Submissions’ page is the number of submissions which have been provided. When you find a submission you want to read, just click on the small box to the right of the title and then the blue ‘download selected’ button at the bottom and you will be able to read and save the submission.  It’s a good idea to read some submissions and see the diversity – it can be very reassuring to see that some submissions are very short and to the point.
• Contact details for the Committee Secretariat
• Information about the inquiry
• Upcoming and past public hearings (when and where)
• Status of the Inquiry – ‘accepting submissions’ or ‘submissions closed’
• When the Inquiry Report is due to Parliament, including any extensions
• On the right margin is also a blue button ‘Track Inquiry’.  A pop-up will appear asking you to either log in or register to track this item. You’ll receive an email when things happen with this inquiry, which is very useful
• The blue ‘Upload Submission’ button is also on the right margin.

Effective letter writing to politicians

People often wonder if it’s really worth the effort to write a letter or email to their Member of Parliament or Senator.  This especially the case if the response they receive seems like a standard response, or doesn’t really respond to the questions raised.

It’s very important that people write letters or emails – they are read by the Parliamentarian’s Office, and if in government, also by the relevant department. 

It’s your letter to a Parliamentarian that matters, not the response you receive.

Correspondence to Parliamentarians in Government are logged, and usually counted, so the department can say with some confidence what issues the public is concerned about.

Here are some suggested tips to get you started:

1. Keep it short and simple, stay with one topic (or highlight the intersections of topics).
2. Paragraph 1: share who you are and why you are writing.  Include your professional or life experience credentials – for example: ‘As a parent with children in public school…’ or  ‘ As a small business owner…’
3. Paragraph 2: The issue you are concerned about and the action you want taken. Alternatively you might want to thank the Parliamentarian for an action they are taking and explain why it matters to you.
4. Para 3: Stay with one topic and highlight a few main points.  Most importantly, include how the issue affects you, your family or your community.  Your personal story is more moving than you may think.  Provide specific, rather than general information, about how the topic impacts your life and others you know.  Ask a question or request an action.
5. Paragraph 4: In closing, re-state what it is that you want done and thank the Parliamentarian for taking the time to read your letter and say that you ‘look forward to their response’.