How to write a letter to your MP in Australia

Writing to your local member of parliament is one of the simplest ways to be heard by the people who make decisions for you. You don't need to be an expert, and you don't need special wording. What works is a short, polite, personal letter that makes one clear request. This guide walks you through it step by step, with three free templates you can open in our editor.

Before you write: pick the right politician

The most common reason a letter goes nowhere is that it went to the wrong level of government. Australia has three, and each handles different things:

• Your federal MP (House of Representatives, Canberra): Centrelink, Medicare, the NDIS, visas and immigration, tax, aged care, defence, foreign affairs, and national laws.
• Your state or territory MP: public hospitals, schools, police, public transport, state roads, public housing and planning law.
• Your local council: rubbish collection, local roads and footpaths, parks, pets and development applications.

You also have senators (for federal matters) and, in most states, upper-house members. Your local member is usually the best first contact, because they represent your area and answer to you at the next election. If the issue belongs to a specific portfolio, you can also write to the minister responsible, and copy in your local member.

Not sure who covers your area? Our guide to finding your local member explains how electorates work and why one postcode can have more than one member.

How to write a letter to your MP, step by step

1. Put their name and office address at the top

Use the member's correct title and the electorate office address. Your local member's electorate office is where constituent letters are handled, so it's usually the right place to send yours. Here is how that looks for a real, current member of the House of Representatives:

Notice the greeting: “Dear Mr Abdo”, not “Dear Sir/Madam”. Titles like “The Hon” and post-nominals like MP, MLA or MLC have their own rules. Our guide on how to address your MP covers every case, from backbenchers to the Prime Minister.

2. Say you're a constituent, and where you live

Start by saying you live in the electorate and naming your suburb. MPs give priority to their own constituents, and your address is how they check. Put your full postal address on the letter too. Without it, they can't reply.

3. One issue, in plain words

Stick to a single topic per letter. If you care about three things, send three letters. A focused letter is easier to pass to the right staff member and easier to answer. Say what the issue is in your first or second sentence, without jargon.

4. Make it personal: your story beats a statistic

MPs see plenty of figures. What they see less often is a clear account of how a decision affects a real person in their electorate. Explain what has happened to you, your family, your business or your street. One or two concrete details (a date, a cost, a distance, a wait time) will do more than a page of background. If you do use a fact, say where it comes from.

5. Make a clear ask

Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Good asks are specific and achievable:

• vote for or against a particular bill
• raise the issue in Parliament or in their party room
• write to the relevant minister on your behalf
• make an enquiry with a government agency about your case
• meet you, or visit a local site

6. Ask for a reply, and include your return address

End with a question: “What is your position on this?” or “Will you raise this with the minister?” A question invites a written answer. Make sure your name and address are on the letter so the office can respond.

7. Sign it

Sign by hand if you're posting it yourself. If you use Better Letters, you can type, draw or upload your signature, and it's printed on the letter. Keep the tone polite throughout. You can be firm and even angry about an issue without being rude to the person reading it, who is often a staff member doing their best.

Free letter to MP templates

Each template below opens in our editor with your MP's greeting filled in once you pick them. Replace the parts in square brackets with your own words. Don't send a template word for word: the personal detail is what makes it work.

Template: raising an issue

Use this for a local or national issue you want your MP to act on, such as a service gap, a local project or a policy change.

Template: asking your MP for help with a personal matter

Electorate offices do a lot of this work, often called casework. If you're stuck with Centrelink, the NDIS, Medicare, the ATO or a visa application, your federal MP's office can ask the agency to look at your case. For state matters, such as public housing or a hospital waiting list, write to your state MP. Include your reference numbers and a short timeline. Offices usually need your consent before they discuss your details with an agency, so the template includes a line giving it.

Template: supporting or opposing a bill

Use this when a bill is before Parliament. Name the bill exactly as it appears on the Parliament of Australia bills page (or your state parliament's website), and say how you want your member to vote.

What makes the example letter work

Look back at the filled-in example in the first template. It's short, but it does everything a good letter to an MP should:

1. The first sentence says the writer is a constituent, names their suburb and states the issue.
2. The second paragraph is a personal story with concrete details (an hour each way, the last bus leaving before class ends).
3. The ask is specific and within the member's power: raise it with the minister and ask for a review.
4. The closing question (“what is your position?”) makes a reply the natural next step.

It doesn't threaten, lecture or cover five topics at once. That's deliberate.

Letter, email or phone call: which works best?

Each has its place, and they work well together.

• A posted letter is physical, signed and carries your address, so it's clear you're a real constituent. It is harder to skim past than one more email, and it creates a dated record. It's best for issues you care about deeply and casework where you want a written reply.
• Email is fast and free. Most offices publish an email address or a contact form. The downside is volume: a busy office receives a lot of email, and near-identical campaign emails are often grouped together.
• A phone call to the electorate office is good for urgent matters and for following up. Staff will usually take a note of your view and your details. It leaves less of a record, so follow it up in writing.

We'd be overstating it to say a letter guarantees a better response. Offices generally read and log all correspondence from constituents. For the best chance of a reply, do both: post a signed letter and email a copy.

How to send it

You have two options:

• Post it yourself. Write your letter in our editor, download the PDF free, print it, and post it with a $0.02 stamp. No account needed.
• We print and post it for you. We print your letter with your signature, put it in an envelope and send it via Australia Post for $3.95. Letters sent through a campaign cost $3.45 each when you send 4 or more. Your letter is encrypted and deleted 24 hours after posting.

Not writing to a politician? The same service works for any address in Australia. See sending a letter online.

What happens next, and how to follow up

Your letter will usually be opened and logged by electorate office staff, who decide whether it needs a reply from the member, a referral to a minister, or an enquiry with an agency. Response times vary between offices and depend on how busy the parliamentary calendar is.

If you haven't heard back after three or four weeks:

1. Call the electorate office. Give your name, suburb, the date you wrote and the subject.
2. Ask whether it was received and who is handling it.
3. If you get a reply that doesn't answer your question, write back politely and ask it again, more directly.

If your issue belongs to a minister, ask your MP to forward it. A letter from an MP to a minister on a constituent's behalf usually gets a formal response from the minister's office.

Join a campaign

If you care about an issue other people are already writing about, a campaign is the quickest way in. You get a ready-made letter to adapt, and it's sent to your own local member based on your postcode. See all live campaigns, or read how to run a letter writing campaign of your own.

Names, roles and addresses on this page come from each parliament's official member lists. Data checked 20 October 2026.