I said in an earlier post I'd try writing a submission to Parliament. I've started. It's harder than it looks and easier than it sounds.
A few weeks ago I said I'd try sending a submission to a select committee. Update: I'm doing it. Slowly. Badly. But doing it.
Quick recap for anyone who missed that post: when Parliament is thinking about a new law, it sends the draft (a "bill") to a select committee. The committee asks the public what they think. Anyone can write in. Anyone. You don't have to be 18. You don't have to be an expert. You just have to have an opinion and the patience to type it.
Here's what a submission actually looks like, based on the ones I've been reading:
1. Your name and contact details at the top. (You can ask for parts to be kept private if you need to.) 2. A line saying which bill you're submitting on and whether you support it, oppose it, or support it with changes. 3. A short intro about who you are and why you care. One paragraph. Doesn't have to be fancy. "I'm a Year 7 student and this bill affects my school" is a totally valid intro. 4. Your actual points. Numbered. Short. Each one says what you think and why. 5. A line at the end saying whether you want to speak to the committee in person (or on Zoom).
That's it. That's the whole format. It's basically a structured letter.
What's been hard:
- Picking which bill. There are heaps going through Parliament at any time and most of them are about really specific stuff (fisheries quotas, building code amendments, tax changes). I had to scroll for ages to find one I actually had something to say about. - Not waffling. My first draft was three pages of vibes. The version I'm sending is one page with four points. Apparently committees read hundreds of these so short and clear wins. - Not pretending to know things I don't. I had to take out a whole paragraph where I was guessing about how something works. Replaced it with "I don't know enough about X but I'd like the committee to explain it more clearly in the final version of the bill." Apparently that's a totally fine thing to say.
What's been surprisingly easy:
- The actual website. You upload your submission as a PDF or just type it in a box. Done in two minutes once the writing was done. - Nobody's gatekeeping. There's no test. There's no fee. You don't need a parent's signature (though I told mine).
I'll post a screenshot of the final submission once it's sent. If it gets read out or quoted I'll absolutely lose my mind in a follow-up post. If it gets ignored, that's also useful information - I'll tell you that too.
The point of doing this isn't really about the one submission. It's about knowing the door exists. Most kids (and a surprising number of adults) don't know they're allowed to push it open.