Solar Citizens Go to Canberra! 
Lobby day on solar power - December 1-2, 2013

Background information for applicants

Solar Citizens are going to Canberra! On December 2 we’ll be holding a lobby day at Parliament House to share the story of Solar Citizens so far and hand over the sun tax petition.

We are setting up meetings with key federal politicians from both the Government and the Opposition to talk to them about all things solar.

We would love for you to join our team of solar owners, workers and supporters from different electorates around Australia who will be going to Canberra to meet with politicians.

Below is an outline of key questions about the lobby day. For those who are selected to come to Canberra more information will follow in the Participants’ Pack. Any questions can be directed to Taegen on 0438 787 026 or [email protected].

What are we doing, when and where?

• BRIEFING SESSION: 3pm - 7pm Sunday 1st December, 2013

We will rendezvous in Canberra on Sunday afternoon to meet each other and go through a full briefing and practice session for meeting with politicians, followed by dinner together.

• ‘SOLAR CITIZENS LOBBY DAY’: 8am - 6pm Monday 2nd December, 2013

We will go to Parliament House, get into our lobby teams and spend the day attending pre-scheduled meetings with federal politicians. This will be followed by a debrief session to share what we heard and learnt from our conversations.

What are we aiming to achieve with this lobby day?

The lobby day provides a way for supporters of solar to:

• Make politicians aware of the importance of solar to communities and their electorates.
• Provide politicians with the information they need to make the best policy decisions on solar and renewable energy.
• Educate MPs about the work of Solar Citizens. This will be our first appearance in Canberra, so we want to make it a good one!

Why is this lobby day so important?

• The new federal government will be making key policy decisions about solar power, including the Renewable Energy Target which has helped 1 million homes go solar, early next year.
• Politicians need to know about community’s stories in support of solar and renewables when they are making these decisions.
• One of the most effective ways of letting politicians know what the community thinks is through personal stories shared face to face, particularly held with someone from their electorate.

I've never met a politician - what would the event involve?

Because some of the people participating will never have met with a politician before, we’ll be providing all the support you need to make it the best experience possible.  

Participants will arrive in Canberra the day before the lobby day to meet the team and to participate in a briefing and training session where we will:

• Go over what to expect and how to get the most out of your meetings.
• Share experiences, answer questions and build confidence
• Allocate lobby teams and work through the meetings schedule.

On the lobby day, participants will:

• get together with their teams and join approx 3-4 meetings with politicians
• play a different role in in each meeting. We’ll provide you with information to share and a suggested agenda.
• There will be a group debrief at the end of the day to celebrate our good experience, and all our new friends

How do I get to Canberra; where will I stay, and what will it cost?

Participants will need to arrange their own travel to and from Canberra. We will be arranging budget accom (approx $50/person) for the Sunday night in shared cabins at a local tourist park. A group dinner will be organised for Sunday night.

All participating Solar Citizens will need to cover their own costs of attending the lobby day. To help with raising these funds we are asking participants to join us in a ‘crowd-funding’ effort to pay for travel and other costs incurred. This is a great opportunity to ask Solar Citizens’ supporters to donate to make sure the messages they care about get to the people that matter.

We will provide assistance and tips to help make this happen.

I’m keen! What do I need to do to be selected?

We have about ten spaces available for about Solar Citizens to join the trip to Canberra! We’d love you to be amongst them. All you need to do to be selected is to register your interest here: http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/lobbyday, and provide short answers to three simple questions that follow as to why you want to come. We’ll be back in touch at the latest by next Monday!

PLEASE REGISTER ASAP IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND UP FOR THE CHALLENGE!

For more info contact Taegen at [email protected] or 0438 787 026.