How to Write a Meeting Request to Ministers and MPs

Meeting Requests 101                                    

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As a government affairs professional, one of your primary responsibilities is to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with government representatives. This includes elected officials, appointed bureaucrats, and other key stakeholders in the legislative and regulatory processes. Building strong relationships with government representatives requires establishing your credibility and trustworthiness.

Some ways to do this include:

• Demonstrating expertise in your organisation's policy areas by providing well-researched and accurate information.
• Being transparent about your organisation's goals and interests.
• Following through on commitments and maintaining open lines of communication.
• Respecting their time and avoiding excessive or unnecessary contact.
• Have an in person meeting with the elected official or government stakeholder.

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Everything you need to know about writing meeting requests to Ministers and MPs 

Who to send it to

• The Minister/MPs office account (published on their parliamentary website + GovConnex)
• (Cc) Chief of Staff email (if known)*
• (Cc) Advisor (if known)
• (Cc) Diary Secretary (if known)

‍*GovConnex customers have exclusive access to verified profiles of chiefs of staff and media advisers in federal minister's offices with Rolodex Pro.

How to send the request

The meeting request should be formal and written on your company's letterhead. This formal request should be attached to a short 1-2 line email outlining the request and stating that a formal request is attached. It is crucial that the request is included in the email as many staffers may not open the attachment straight away.

‍Example: 

Dear Minister,

I am writing to request a meeting with you to discuss the federal government’s support for tech start-ups in Australia. Please see attached a formal request.

Kind regards,

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What to write

• State your request - the first paragraph should be direct, outlining that you are requesting a meeting. Make sure you include the subject matter of the proposed meeting in this paragraph. Also include in what capacity you would like to meet them. For example, if you are meeting with Richard Marles, you would state whether you would like to meet him in his capacity as Defence Minister or Deputy Prime Minister.
• Introduce your company - the next paragraph should introduce exactly what your company does, try to outline the ways in which your company is benefiting/contributing towards their electorate/jurisdiction.
• Compliment the Minister/MP - try to compliment the Minister/MP on a recent achievement relevant to your industry.
• Background - outline the background behind why you require a meeting.
• Search GovConnex for a relevant quote - use research tools like GovConnex to find relevant quotes that may assist in supporting your proposal.
• Outline how your request/objectives would benefit the Minister/MP - try to find a link between their governments policy objectives and your proposal.
• Offer dates and times - acknowledge the value of the Minister/MP's time and be flexible on dates.
• CC external stakeholders at the end of the letter - if you are CCing other politicians or stakeholders, their details should be included at the bottom of the letter.
• Be respectful - don’t assume a meeting request will be granted, be humble and respect their office.

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Example

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