School crossing

Before you start working to engage government, whether federal, state or local, bear in mind that there are two distinct groups that make up ‘government’ – politicians (who are elected) and public servants (who work in government bodies, no matter who is in power).

Both are important, but they each do slightly different things.  (Because they work slightly differently, and do different things, other parts of this section cover working with local government and working with state government separately).

Politicians

Politicians or elected officials include:

  • Mayor and Councillors (local government);
  • Premier, Ministers, Members of Parliament (state); and
  • Prime Minister, Ministers, Senators and Members of Parliament (federal).

 

Generally, at state and federal levels, politicians will be:

  • a member of the Government – that is, the party elected to power;
  • a member of the Opposition – if Labor holds power, the Liberal members are in opposition (sometimes in coalition with the Nationals);
  • an independent member with no party affiliation;
  • a member affiliated with a smaller party, such as the Greens or Family First.

 

As a group, Government members are responsible for:

  • deciding policy – deciding how something will run, whether it is the public transport system or a carbon trading scheme;
  • allocating funding – deciding what money or effort is going to be spent where and how; and
  • proposing new or updated laws or regulations, and overseeing the government bodies that uphold them (such as the police).

 

The Opposition, independents and members of smaller parties are then responsible for:

  • voting on policy, funding or laws that the Government has proposed;
  • analysing, commenting on or criticising Government decisions about policy, funding or laws (which often means saying what they would do if they were in power).

 

And it’s worth remembering that politicians love to hear success stories: most of the letters they get are asking them to do something.

While you might do a bit of that too, inviting a politician to come and see something you’ve achieved (or even just tell them about it) is a good way to grab their interest. That way, you’ll be top of mind next time they’re looking for a project to support or fund. (Sneaky, but it just might work!)

Some of the politicians you might think about approaching at the local Government (council) level include:

 

At state level, you might approach:

 

Use Find an MP to search for Members of Parliament by name, electorate, or by your home address.

Public servants

Public servants are sometimes called bureaucrats. They work for government bodies and local councils, and generally keep their jobs even if a new party is elected to government.

Mostly, public servants are responsible for carrying out the work of government. What they do is directed or guided by the policy of the government in power – but because of its day-to-day nature, a lot of government work is done by public servants without the direct involvement of politicians.

Whether to contact a public servant or politician first with an issue can be a tricky question. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to start with the public servant – especially if you want something fixed or resolved, rather than something brand new created or built from scratch.

But if you don’t get any joy from the government office or council you’re dealing with, the politicians can sometimes help you get things done.

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