What can people do when they don’t agree with something Parliament has done?

Hi Reechara. There are lots of ways Australians can let the Australian Parliament know what they think about laws made by or actions taken by the Parliament.

You could contact the senators or member of the House of Representatives who represent you to let them know what you think about decisions made in Parliament. Or you could contact the minister responsible for the area you are concerned about, for example the Minister for Health or the Minister for the Environment.

Parliamentary committees investigate issues, and proposed and existing laws. Upcoming investigations are listed on the APH website. Australians are encouraged to make submissions to help the senators and members understand what people think about the issue they are investigating.

Other ways you can request the Parliament act on an issue are:

• petition the Senate or House of Representatives
• organise a protest or public meeting
• contact the media. 

There are also lots of government and non-government organisations that lobby Parliament on behalf of Australians. For example, the Australian Human Rights Commission, Disability Advocacy Network Australia and the Australian Law Reform Commission are all organisations who communicate directly with members of Parliament about the impact the actions of the Parliament have on citizens.

At federal elections, Australian citizens over the age of 18 express their views on what they think the Australian Parliament should be doing by voting for the senators and member of the House of Representatives they want to represent them in Parliament.