A nonpartisan guide

How to push back when a bill threatens your digital rights.

Bills that weaken encryption, require online ID, or restrict anonymous speech can be challenged before they become law. This guide shows you whether to contact your local MP, your senators, or both—and how to make your message count.

Your MP
your electorate, the House
Your senators
your state, the Senate
Find your MP & senators Track the bill
01

Is it federal or state?

Sort this out first, because it decides who you contact. The good news for digital-rights fights: the big topics - telecommunications and the internet, encryption and surveillance, online safety, national security, digital ID and the main privacy law - are federal, so the Parliament in Canberra is usually the right target. But some privacy and surveillance law is state, so it is worth checking.

Parliament, Canberra

It's a federal matter if…

  • It is a bill of the federal Parliament, moving through the House of Representatives and the Senate.
  • It deals with a federal power: telecommunications, encryption and surveillance, online safety, national security, digital ID, or the federal Privacy Act.
  • You can find it on aph.gov.au.
  • It would apply nationwide, and is regulated by a federal body such as the eSafety Commissioner, ACMA or the OAIC.

Examples: the Online Safety Act and its social-media minimum-age rules, the Assistance and Access Act on encryption, and the Digital ID Act. These are Acts of the federal Parliament.

Your state or territory

It's state if…

  • It is a bill in your state or territory parliament.
  • It covers state public-sector privacy, or a state surveillance-devices law, rather than a federal power.
  • It would apply only in your state or territory.
  • The member is your MP, MLA or MHA, or a member of the Legislative Council (MLC).

Note: the federal Privacy Act does not cover state government agencies, and each state runs its own public-sector privacy and surveillance-devices laws - so some fights belong to your state parliament.

Still not sure? Three rules of thumb.
  1. Most core digital law is federal. Telecoms and the internet, encryption and surveillance, online safety, national security, digital ID and the main privacy law are decided in Canberra, so for most of these fights the federal Parliament is the target wherever you live.
  2. You have an MP and senators. Your Senate is elected, so you are represented by twelve senators for your whole state - two if you live in the ACT or the NT - and you can write to any of them, on top of your one local MP.
  3. States and territories differ. Queensland, the ACT and the NT have a single chamber; the other states have two. Lower-house members are MPs or MLAs - MHAs in South Australia and Tasmania - and upper-house members are MLCs.
02

Know the ground

The federal Parliament has two chambers, and unlike many countries you elect members to both. Here is who does what, and how a bill actually becomes law.

The House of Representatives

Your local seat
  • Members150 MPs, one for each electorate, elected by preferential (ranked) voting.
  • Your shareOne MP, tied to your electorate. That is your local representative.
  • TermUp to three years, when every seat is contested at once.
  • OwnsWhere government forms and most bills start. The votes on a bill's principle and its amendments happen here first.

You have 1 MP. Find them by your postcode.

The Senate

Your state's team
  • Members76 senators, elected: 12 for each state and 2 for each territory, by proportional representation.
  • Your shareAll 12 senators for your state (2 in a territory). None is tied to your suburb, so you can write to any of them.
  • TermSix years for state senators, half up every three years; territory senators serve three.
  • RoleThe house of review. It scrutinises and amends bills, and its committees run the public inquiries where much of the real work happens.

You have 12 senators for your state. Use them.

How a federal bill becomes law, and when to weigh in. First reading (a formal introduction) leads to second reading (members debate the principle), then the detail stage - "consideration in detail" in the House or "committee of the whole" in the Senate - where the bill is amended clause by clause, and third reading (the final vote). The other chamber then repeats every stage, both must pass identical text, and the bill receives Royal Assent from the Governor-General and becomes an Act. Separately, a bill is often referred to a Senate committee for an inquiry that takes public submissions. The strongest moments to weigh in are before second reading, to shape the principle, and during a committee inquiry, to put your case on the record.
Committees are the open door. Committee inquiries, especially Senate ones, call for and publish written submissions from the public - anyone can send one. Match the bill to the committee: privacy goes to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs committee, online safety and telecoms to Environment and Communications, and national-security, surveillance and encryption bills to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS). Find the inquiry on the bill's page and send your submission in before the deadline.

How to follow the bill

Parliament

Track the law

  • aph.gov.au tracks every bill's current stage and what comes next.
  • Bill titles and numbers change between parliaments, so check the live status there rather than trusting one in print.
Committees and submissions

Inquiries and hearings

  • aph.gov.au/committees lists open inquiries and how to make a submission.
  • The AEC helps you find your electorate and check your enrolment.
03

Who to contact for what

Match the situation to the person who holds the lever. Offices listen first to the people who elect them, so use your own MP and the senators for your state.

Federal bills and regulators

If your issue is…
Contact
How / where
A bill in either House
Your MP and senators
Write to your local MP and to the senators for your state; contact their electorate offices directly.
A bill referred to a committee
The committee inquiry
Make a written submission before the deadline, or ask to appear at a hearing. Anyone can make a submission.
A national-security or encryption bill
The PJCIS
These bills go to the intelligence and security committee; watch its inquiry and make a submission.
A regulator's rules (eSafety, ACMA, OAIC)
The regulator
Respond to its open consultation on esafety.gov.au, acma.gov.au or oaic.gov.au.
Not sure who represents you
Look up by postcode
aph.gov.au finds your MP and your state's senators.

State bills, petitions and the states

If your issue is…
Contact
How / where
A state or territory bill
Your state member
Contact your MP, MLA or MHA, or a Legislative Council member, through your state parliament's website.
State public-sector privacy
Your state regulator
States run their own privacy and surveillance-devices laws; complaints and consultations go through the state body.
You want to put an issue on the record
A House e-petition
Presented by a member; there is no signature threshold, but the responsible minister is asked to reply within 90 days. aph.gov.au/petitions.
Which level is it?
Federal or state
Most digital-rights law is federal; check the bill's page on aph.gov.au to be sure.
04

Ways to push back

Roughly ordered by influence, for the federal Parliament and the state legislatures alike. The single most reliable rule: a personal message from a real constituent does more than a mass-identical one, and a message in your own words counts for more than the channel you send it through.

01

Write to your local MP

Your MP is the representative tied to your electorate, and offices weigh their own constituents first. Lead with your name and postcode so they can see you are one of theirs, keep it to one clear ask, and write in your own words rather than a copy-paste, which is weighted far more heavily.

Highest
02

Contact your state's senators

This is the Australian advantage. You have twelve senators for your state - two for a territory - and any of them can raise or amend a bill. A senator who sits on the relevant committee is an especially strong target, since the Senate does much of the detailed work.

Highest
03

Make a submission to a committee inquiry

The most open channel Parliament offers. When a bill is referred to a committee, anyone can send a written submission, and it is published on the record. A few plain, first-hand pages carry real weight, and you do not need an invitation - just meet the deadline on the inquiry's page.

Highest
04

Request a meeting with a member or their staff

You do not need the member in person. Ask the electorate office for a short meeting with the MP or senator, or with the adviser who handles the issue. They brief the member, so fifteen minutes carries real weight.

High
05

Phone the electorate office

Quick and effective. There is no central switchboard that patches you through, so ring the electorate office directly; look up the number on the member's page. Calls get logged by issue and passed up to the member.

High
06

Respond to a regulator's consultation

When the fight is over regulation rather than a bill, respond to the relevant eSafety, ACMA or OAIC consultation during its open window. A reasoned individual response counts for more than an identical form response.

Medium
07

Write to a local paper

MPs and senators keep a close eye on their local press. A short, published letter reaches your community and the staff who track coverage, and it pulls other people into the fight.

Medium
08

Engage their official accounts

Staff watch mentions and tags. Post clearly, tag the member's official account rather than a party or campaign one, and use it to nudge others in your state to write and call.

Medium
09

Start or sign a House e-petition

A petition to the House of Representatives must be presented by a member and comply with the rules. Note what it is and is not: Australia has no signature threshold that forces a debate, and the minister is only asked to respond within 90 days. It records an issue, but a personal message to a member does more.

Supporting
10

Sign on with a coalition

Group letters read as speaking for many people at once. Joining an established push from a digital-rights group such as Digital Rights Watch or Electronic Frontiers Australia turns your single voice into part of a bloc. As with petitions, identical mass messages carry the least weight on their own, so add your own words wherever you can.

Supporting
05

Tips most people miss

The difference between a message that gets logged and forgotten and one that gets a staffer's attention.

TIP 01

Use your senators, not just your MP

You have twelve senators for your state on top of your one local MP. That is the biggest lever most Australians never pull, especially a senator on the relevant committee.

TIP 02

Make a submission

The most open channel Parliament has. When a bill goes to a committee inquiry, anyone can send a written submission, and it goes on the public record.

TIP 03

Lead with your name and postcode

Offices act first for people they represent. Give your name and postcode or electorate at the very start so they can see you are one of theirs.

TIP 04

Name the bill and the stage

Something like "the ___ Bill, at the committee inquiry" files your message against the right law and the right moment, instead of a vague pile of internet bills.

TIP 05

Target the right committee

Privacy goes to Legal and Constitutional Affairs, online safety to Environment and Communications, and security and encryption to the PJCIS. A senator on that committee is worth ten who are not.

TIP 06

One clear ask

Say exactly what you want: oppose the bill, or support or move a specific amendment. Keep it to one issue per message. Short and clear lands better than long and sprawling.

TIP 07

Timing beats everything

Weigh in before second reading or during a committee inquiry. After Royal Assent you are thanking or scolding, not persuading.

TIP 08

Petitions have no magic number

Unlike some countries, no signature count forces a debate here. A signature records a view; a personal message from a constituent carries far more weight.

TIP 09

Know the level before you write

Most digital-rights law is federal, but some privacy and surveillance law is state. Aim at the parliament that holds the power - Canberra, or your state House.

TIP 10

Ask where they stand

"Where does my MP stand on this bill?" turns a logged message into a reply on the record, and puts the office on the spot.

TIP 11

Be courteous to staff

Staff are often the ones who summarise your message for the member. Courtesy gets you taken seriously; venting gets you set aside.

TIP 12

Verify the bill

Titles and numbers change between parliaments. Confirm the live bill and its stage on aph.gov.au before you write, so you name the right one.

06

Make contact now

Fill in the blanks, send the message, and you are done in a couple of minutes. The script works as a phone call or the opening of an email. Then pass this to someone else who will do the same.

30-second script
"Hello, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent in [your electorate or town]. I'm asking [MP or senator name] to [your ask, e.g. oppose the ___ Bill]. [One sentence on why this affects you.] Could you tell me where [name] stands on this?"
How to reach your representatives
aph.gov.au
Look up your one MP and the twelve senators for your state, then contact their electorate offices directly. There is no central switchboard that patches you through to a member.

Find your members and the right tools

Pass it on

If this helped, send it to other people who care about free expression and privacy online, and use the links below to find your representatives and get started.

Find your MP & senators Track a bill Committees AEC Privacy (OAIC)

This is a general, nonpartisan guide to contacting your representatives in the federal Parliament and the state legislatures. The methods here work for any issue and any point of view. Seat counts, committee names, bill stages and petition rules change, and individual bills move quickly - the examples above were current as of 2026, when the social-media minimum-age rules were in force and further online-safety and privacy measures were announced but not yet law - so check aph.gov.au and the regulators before you act. The influence ordering reflects general best practice for engaging Parliament and its committees.

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