1) Decide who's important to affect change:

This is often someone with decision-making power on a particular issue:

* Local Council is both practically important in your area and also politically in sending 'messages' to State and Federal governments about what the community wants
* State Government can decide to 'go it alone' and support a GE-free direction regardless of the Federal government
* Federal government (Liberal) is very pro-GE but talking to individual politicians can help create support for improvements to the existing Gene Technology Bill
* Federal opposition (Labor) is as yet undecided on GE and therefore extremely important strategically. If the Gene Technology Bill faces resistance from Labor in the Senate, the Liberal government will be forced to make changes, eg allowing states to 'opt-out' of the Federal legislation and declare themselves GE-free zones

A prime focus for GE-free communication (letters, phone calls, personal visits) in the coming months should be Labor Senators in your state.

2) Decide what you want them to do to help you affect change

* Local Council can make the decision to declare their Municipality a GMO-free zone (no live Genetically Modified Organisms in agriculture or aquaculture), and can provide GE-free Council-associated food services (food served does not contain any Genetically Engineered ingredients)
* State government (Primary Industries Minister/ Agriculture Minister) can decide to declare the state GE-free and challenge the Federal government's efforts to expand GE production Australia-wide
* State government (Health Minister) can insist on compulsory labelling of all foods that contain GE ingredients or their derivatives and fight the Prime Minister's attempt to undermine compulsory labelling (on the basis that compliance costs for industry will be too high and GE labelling is not a health and safety issue)
* Federal government (Liberal) can be pressured to allow states the ability to opt out of the Federal Gene Technology Bill; to make notification to Councils, residents and other 'stakeholders' of all GE trials compulsory; to make the GE decision-making processes transparent and accountable (all reports coming out of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee and the "independent regulator" the Interim Office of the Gene Technology Regulator [independent pigs arse] to be made public)
* Federal opposition (Labor) can be pressured to support a minimum 5 year moratorium on the use of GMOs for commercial and trial purposes (they're saying they may consider a moratorium on commercial use - this isn't good enough); if GMO "trials" go ahead the minimum buffer zone around them should be 10km; states must have the ability to opt out of Federal legislation

It's necessary to work out just how much power the person you're seeing actually has. Ask them to do something that is within their reach, but don't be afraid to push their boundaries!

3) Give your target a call and make an appointment to see them
- person to person is the best way to communicate your view

* You may be surprised, but 9 times out of 10 you will be able to see the person you want, or their adviser on this issue, just by calling!
* Remember to ask how long you will have with them; this will affect the level of detail you can go into and help you work out what's most important to discuss
* Send any material you think they should read a week before your appointment. This is not essential but if there is anything particularly controversial about what you're going to discuss, it's often best to allow them time to think about it first

Why stop at writing a letter? Make an appointment to see your local representative and let them know how important this issue is to you.

4) Work out what you most want to discuss with the person you're seeing, and what action you want them to take about your concerns
* Jot down the main things you really want the other person to know, and a short wish list of things you want them to take action on before you go to see them - this helps you prioritise and also means if you get nervous you won't worry about forgetting important bits
* It's a really good idea to take the person a written account of your main points of view; this way you don't have to cram detail into your meeting but can concentrate on building a picture of your case. A written request for their action is also helpful
* You may want to talk to some other people first to find out the background of the person you are going to see (are they likely to be sympathetic; do they have children; have they been known to stick their necks out before etc)

Preparation is essential - you don't have to know everything, but you do have to work out what is most important to you to be able to get the most out of an interview.

5) The meeting itself

* Allow yourself plenty of time to get there - check the address and the transport you need to take
* Take a friend or two for moral support - mums, dads and grandparents are also winners. Two or three people is the best number to go along; that way one person can take notes and the other two can talk about the aspects of the issue that most interest them
* Think about the way the other person is seeing you - things like your dress, tone of voice, snotty nose etc can all be distracting if they are what the person's focussing on instead of your words
* Remember that the other person is highly unlikely to be an expert and that your point of view is entirely legitimate - regardless of you level of information, you are entitled to favour a precautious approach to a technology that noone really understands
* Make sure that you do ask the person to undertake specific action to address your concerns. It's good to ask them to do something they are likely to do as well as something that will be difficult for them (eg to ask that they raise your concerns at the next branch meeting is easy; to ask them to push for a GE-free electorate will be more difficult)

6) Follow-up
* This is incredibly important and tends to be overlooked
* In the week following your meeting, write the person a letter thanking them for their time, summarising the main issues you raised, and reminding them of the action they promised to undertake
* If you have not heard back from them within two weeks of sending your letter, call the office to remind them that you are still waiting for a response
* Forward on media clippings, journal articles etc that are relevant to your concerns - often the person you are talking to will have no interest at all in the issue that's important to you - it's your job to help them understand why they can't afford not to be

And just remember.

The other person you are communicating with is a person too - they have to live with themselves at the end of the day!

Make sure that you don't limit yourself before you start by assuming that the other person isn't interested in what you say. It's up to you to personalise the issue for them.

If not you then who? Just do it!

Contact us if you want any more information:

gefreetas@hotmail.com or 0418 564 019