TEMPLATES- letters and petitions
This page provides templates you can use for emailing your representative (or starting a petition) about wood smoke pollution. This includes example letters, petitions and some key data. Please check back here now and again for updates and new templates. If you live in Victoria you may also wish to visit our email campaign page for the Victorian state election. A similar campaign will be run for other state and territory elections.
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Letters
Please see an attached template letter you can adapt to send to your local MP, councillor or candidate in your state or territory.
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To find the email contact for your local representative you can usually easily find them online - whether by going to the state/territory parliamentary pages, local council website or federal parliament website.
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You may wish to include your personal story about wood smoke pollution in your letter. If you do write to your local Councillor or local MP ask them for their help, rather than simply telling them about the issues. For example, you could ask to meet with them to discuss the issue, ask them to speak to the Environment Minister about your concerns, to raise the issue in parliament, and for their commitment to phase out wood heating. These people represent you so they should be able to state their position and also agree to take some action on your behalf.
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Asthma Australia have also developed a letter you can use to send to your representatives for people who live in NT, WA, SA, TAS, NSW and QLD to ask your MP to introduce a wood heater replacement scheme.
We have also included an example of a template letter drafted by the UK organisation Mums for Lungs. A little out of date now but with some good strong arguments you may wish to include in your letter.
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Petitions
There are lots of different options for petitions these days. This includes online petitions through independent platforms such as change.org or via government websites many of which have the option to start an online petition. You can also do a paper based petition that you present to your local government. If you can, get some advice from your local councilor as to the process for presenting petitions at council meetings.
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While your one petition may not appear to make significant impact on the issue (as the Council may not agree to take up all your recommendations) - each petition is important and helps to build the momentum towards change. Whether you do a paper or online submission - try and get as many people to sign as possible, but you don't have to have hundreds or thousands of signatures to get the message heard. Please feel welcome to use the attached template and change it for your needs.
Wood smoke key facts
See attached a document with key data on wood smoke. You can cut and paste any of the content of this fact sheet in letters, emails etc. We will continue to update the information as new studies or data are released.