Deb’s role as your Member for State Parliament

The role of a Member of Parliament (MP) is a multi-functional one. Deb has a responsibility in three primary capacities:

• the elected representative of an electorate,
• a Member of Parliament, and
• a Member of a particular political party (the exception being for Independents).

Some Members also work on parliamentary committees, which examine the government’s actions in detail and recommend alternative ways of doing things. Up to 19 of the 93 Members may be Ministers. The Chief Minister and Leader of the Government is the Premier.

Working in the electorate

As the representative of all the constituents in our electorate, the responsbilities of an MP and their electorate office staff can be quite varied. This role involves:

• giving assistance and advice to those in difficulty,
• acting as a lobbyist for local interest groups,
• being a communicator for their party’s policies, and
• playing an active community role.

To meet these responsibilities, local Members need to be active in their electorates to keep in touch with what is happening and to get to know constituents’ views and problems. Members must also give constituents help and advice, communicate the needs of their region to the government, and promote their policies to the community.

Members provide a direct link between their constituents and the Parliament, and members in large electorates can spend a lot of time travelling within their electorate. Each member has an office in their electorate, and those with large electorates may even have two. Deb’s Electorate Office is located in Kingaroy, Shop 2/36 Alford Street. Quite often, Deb also runs Mobile Offices throughout the Nanango Electorate.

Constituents often bring their concerns to their local member of parliament. Personal intervention in a constituent matter by a Member may result in priority attention from government departments. If a matter is particularly urgent or serious, the Member may approach the relevant Minister directly, or may even bring the matter before the Parliament by asking a question of the responsible Minister. The Member may also sponsor a petition about the issue in question.

Working in the Parliament

Members’ parliamentary functions include:

• enacting and debating legislation,
• scrutinising the actions of the Government and government departments as members of parliamentary committees,
• participating in general debates in the Chamber,
• attending parliamentary party meetings,
• meeting their constituents who may visit Parliament House,
• providing interviews for the media, and
• performing other duties within the parliamentary complex such as Deputy Speaker roles.

Participating in general debates in the Chamber is a major parliamentary occupation. Members regularly speak either in support of, or in opposition to, a piece of legislation. In Parliament, Members may also address constituent concerns during debates, ask questions of Ministers during Question Time and work to create or amend laws. They may also seek to have matters referred to a parliamentary committee for investigation.

Member of a political party

Most Members of Parliament belong to a political party, and are expected to contribute to the development and amendment of the policies of their party. Deb is a member of the LNP. As a member of a political party (with the exception of Independents) MPs attend parliamentary party meetings. These meetings involve:

• planning strategies,
• developing policies,
• scrutinising proposed legislation, and
• discussing parliamentary business.

In their electorates, their party responsibilities include:

• attending branch party meetings,
• keeping their fellow party members well informed on policy decisions and other relevant information,
• participating in party debate at branch level, and
• generally representing the party at the electorate level, where appropriate

The Parliament website contains detailed information about many aspects of the role of the State Government and I would encourage you to read more at this site.