Who will you meet?

Most participants will have a face‐to‐face meeting with a parliamentarian, depending on availability, and some will have meetings with senior policy advisers.

Just prior to the event, participants will receive an email from STA advising which parliamentarian they are scheduled to meet with and the names of other scientists sharing the meeting. Please note that changes to these meetings may occur up until, and including, the actual day of the meeting.

Knowing your representatives

Many MPs and Senators participate in Science meets Parliament in order to better understand issues they think voters, especially constituents in their electorate, are concerned about.

Once you know which parliamentarian you will be meeting, we highly encourage you to do your research. You can search for all Parliamentarians using the link below. This will give you their Parliamentary Biography.

Search for Senators and Members of Parliament - http://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members

As part of your preparation you should try to think in terms of what questions they might be asked by a voter which your field of science helps to understand or manage.

You will need to know:

·         Are they a member of the government party, opposition, a minor party or an independent?

·         Are they a Member of the House of Representatives (Lower House) or a Senator in the Upper House?

·         Are they a Minister, Assistant Minister or a Shadow Minister/Opposition spokesperson?

·         Do they sit on any parliamentary committees?

·         Is their electorate in a city or urban area, or a rural and regional area?

Members represent seats in the House. Look at information about the electorates to find out the geographic area covered, major population centres, key industries, and locations of higher education campuses and CSIRO. To do this log on to the Australian Electoral Commission http://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/index.htm

Senators represent States and Territories. Some are based in regional cities such as Launceston, Goulburn, Cairns and Burnie, as well as the capital cities and suburbs. If you are meeting with a Senator, find out where their office is located. These Senators will often have a close affinity with, and knowledge of, their regions, similar to Members living in regional electorates.

If your representatives are currently serving on a committee (check their biography), it is advisable to look up recent inquiries the committee has held. To view committee activities and publications go to www.aph.gov.au and click on the “committees” tab.