Post-election Engagement

Once an election is done and dusted, there’s relief for most people and a familiar question for every advocate: what now? Some rush Ministerial offices immediately. Others hang back, let the dust settle, and find the diary has already filled up. Neither extreme works well.

This is the final part of our three-part series on advocacy through the election cycle. If you haven’t already, part one covers staying engaged during the campaign and part two covers preparing your red book and blue book during caretaker period — this is where you put that preparation to work.

1. Send a letter of introduction

If the Minister responsible for your area has changed, whether through defeat or reshuffle, a letter of introduction is the right first move. Use it to introduce your organisation and flag the handful of key issues you’ll want to discuss with their office. If the same Minister has retained their portfolio, send congratulations instead.

2. Book an introductory meeting

About a week after your letter lands, it’s appropriate to arrange a brief face-to-face meeting. This isn’t the moment for a deep policy discussion — it’s a chance for the Minister to meet you, and for you to briefly flag one or two issues you’ll raise in more detail later. Leave the slide deck at home; there’ll be plenty of opportunity for detailed meetings in the months ahead. It’s also a good moment to gauge their interest in speaking at your event or touring your site.

3. Show your local impact visually

Advocates typically engage MPs on macro, industry-wide issues. Demonstrating your sector’s footprint at the local level is what sets your advocacy apart. Advoc8 Maps lets you upload address-based data and generate an interactive map or high-res image showing your organisation’s contribution at the electorate level — genuinely useful in a briefing note when you want maximum impact with minimum reading.

4. Track the staff changes

Every election brings staff turnover, and not just from a change of government. Watch who’s departed, who’s replaced them, and who’s been newly appointed to a Minister’s office — these moves often signal what the incumbent party plans to keep doing, and where it’s planning to change course. It’s worth tracking departmental staff changes too, not just Ministerial ones.

5. Read the inaugural speeches

Every election brings a new crop of MPs, and if the Minister in your portfolio area has changed, their inaugural speech is required reading. It’s a genuine window into what motivates them, what concerns them, and who they hold in high regard — all of which should shape the approach you take and the issues you raise when you finally sit down with them.