Do one thing – Baptist Care Australia

Do one thing...

Every action, no matter how small, helps to create a better for Australia. As you talk about the nation you want to live in, you help to create change.

You might choose to share a campaign topic on social media, visit your local member, or even run a forum with candidates in your electorate to inform your church. This page gives you useful tips and hints about how to add your voice to the Baptist Care Australia federal election campaign.

And don't forget to tell us what you've done or plan to do by clicking on the button to the right so we can say thank you for getting involved, and stay in touch with you about the issues you care about. You can also subscribe to our regular communications if you choose.

Sign up

Baptist Care Australia works closely with other organisations to achieve the change we would like to see in the world. By adding your voice to these campaigns, you become part of an army of Australians who care about the issues you care about.

Everybody's Home

On the Everybody's Home website, you can sign up to receive campaign updates about our collective efforts to fix Australia's broken housing system and solve homelessness forever. You can:

Sign a petition to support specific fixes that will help create a home for everyone
Find content to share on social media streams
Sign up to receive further campaign information to follow the successes and challenges of this ground-breaking initiative to realise a paradigm change in our broken housing system.

Raise the Rate

If you're worried about the level of poverty in Australian communities, you can join the ACOSS campaign to raise the rate of Newstart, Youth Allowance, and related social security payments. By signing the petition, you will join a number of prominent researchers, politicians and business leaders who think the current low rate is harming both job-seekers and the economy. The ACOSS pages includes a briefing note you can take with you when you meet with your local member, and help with a range of other actions you can take to raise the profile of this issue in the media and among decision makers.

Once you've done something, don't forget to tell us you've taken action so we can thank you and keep in touch with you about the issues you care about.

Write

Writing to your local federal member, a minister, shadow minister or even the local newspaper is an old campaign technique that still wields clout in the 21^st Century. When an election is on the cards, these tried and true methods take on an importance they don't normally enjoy.

Find your correspondent and their contact information:

Shadow Minister

Local newspaper

Write and send your letter or email setting out how you'd like our housing system to change. You could include details about your personal experience of the issue, things you've seen in your community relating to the issue, and how you'd like your community to be different (you might like to read the advice from Parliament House about contacting members and senators).
Tell us you've taken action!

Meet

It's easy to call your local member's office and ask for a meeting to discuss one of Baptist Care Australia's four campaign topics. (You might like to read the advice from Parliament House about contacting members and senators). When there's an election on the cards, local members are in their communities talking and listening to voters to understand what they care about. If you're actively involved in helping to respond to the issue in your community, your voice is especially powerful, so don't be afraid to share your experiences and ask for action!

Choose the issue you feel passionate about from Baptist Care Australia's federal election platform.
Find your local federal member by searching your postcode here.
Call or email your federal member's electorate office in your local community and ask for a meeting. Include your home address so the office knows you're a constituent, and also mention the specific topic or issues you'd like to discuss in the meeting.
If you don't receive a response, follow up a week after the initial call or email. (Electorate offices are busy places and sometimes things do fall through the cracks.)
When you attend the meeting, dress and act respectfully, but there's no need to be formal. Local members are used to interacting with members of the public and will generally accept you for who you are. They might not agree with you about your issue, but they will accept your right to raise it with them.
During the meeting, thank your member for taking the time to meet with you, and give a verbal summary of the issue you're concerned about and what you'd like to see changed. You might like to download and print a copy of the Baptist Care Australia issue briefing note to take with you to the meeting to speak to, and to leave with your member for reference.
After the meeting, it's polite to send an email thanking your member for his or her time, and perhaps following up any topics or questions raised in the meeting.
Tell us you've taken action!

Organise

An election forum is a great way for your church or community group to hear from all your local candidates about the issues you think are important in the election. You might choose one or several of the topics in our federal election platform to raise with the candidates standing in your electorate.

Organising an event is often easier if you have a small group to help. So a good start is to ask a few friends whether they'd like to help.
Decide on a date, time and venue for your forum that will suit both the candidates and the members of your audience. It's helpful to check what else is happening in your electorate to avoid clashes with other important events that your candidates or audience members
Choose what topics you'd like candidates to speak about at the forum. A simple but effective approach is to frame questions on your topics for each candidate to answer at the forum.
Invite all the candidates standing in your electorate to attend the forum to discuss the campaign issues you're interested in:

Local member

Other candidates - Liberal, ALP, Nationals MPs, Nationals candidates, Greens, One Nation, Katter's Australia Party, Centre Alliance, Australian Conservatives

There may be independent candidates standing also, and you might need to find contact information for their campaign office through an internet search or via the Australian Electoral Commission website.

It can be helpful to let candidates know the questions you'd like to ask in the forum, and whether you'll be inviting the audience to also ask questions once you've addressed the main issues you're interested in. If you're not sure what questions you'd like to ask, suggestions can be found on the pages devoted to housing, poverty, domestic violence and aged care.

5. Invite a suitable person to host the forum, ask the questions of your candidates and manage questions and discussion between candidates and the audience.

6. Promote your election forum widely within your church or community group.

7. Run your forum as planned.

8. Afterwards, don't forget to thank all your candidates for participating, and for the people who have helped you run the event.

9. Tell us you've taken action!