I am often asked “What can I do about refugee policy?”
Well here’s an idea Kate came up with: get a group of friends together and agree to meet once a week.
At those weekly meetings, agree on things you can do during the following week: helping at the local refugee support group is one possibility.
One thing you CAN do is write to Federal MPs. There’s a few pointers about how to do this effectively: click here. Key points: write letters: pen and paper (not emails, not SMS); keep it short: give them nowhere to hide.
Classic sample letter:
“Dear xxx
I am a voter (in your electorate). I have two questions:
- Do you think boat people are “illegal”?
- If so, what offence do they commit?
Yours Faithfully… “
There are lots of other possible questions here.
Write to members of both major parties. If you don’t get an answer (an answer as distinct from a non-responsive reply) write again: after all, this is supposed to be a representative democracy.
If enough people do this every week, so that all federal MPs get lots of letters, maybe they will start to get the picture.
Realpolitik sample letter:
“Dear Representative,
Please ensure that Australia does not permit entry to anyone who adheres to any ideology which is manifestly incompatible with Australian laws, values and mores.
Yours sincerely,
harbi”