Go to the Parliamentary Web site and use the email addresses to write to all of them. If they don't answer write AGAIN and AGAIN. They are supposed to be representatives, not dictators.

Go to Democratic Top Banana Central, and follow the links. Speak UP. THINK of how many Australian things have been sold down the river the last few years - jobs, education, health, safety, culture (FTA - vote NO), PBS (FTA - vote NO), 'full employment (got redefined about 7 years ago!)'.

How many times do we have to make the same mistakes? Canada has had a very bad run with NAFTA...it is all for the US, not for anyone else. (I'm a Canadian/Australian.) Wake up Australia.

NHJ! (JR): Doc, you are a democratic Green Pen Man From Hell after my own heart. Sorry about beefing up your words here a bit (the 'Top Banana' rude bit was mine, folks), but like you I am a fiendish True Believer in the power of the political pen. (Fellow fellow-travellers can be found here.) Great, universal, and very timely reminder/suggestion.

As Russell implies, if you write again and again and again to these people - never give up - and if you put your points and representative demands unambiguously IN WRITING (ie, on the OFFICIAL record), you might be surprised by how much our pollies will be willing to do for you (hint: ESPECIALLY if you send 'for info' copies to their opposite numbers in Parliament and the Public Service, as well as the minor parties and even the media. That way, you get a sort of a 'triangulation' effect going; they know that if they just bin your letter, or reply to you with no intelligence or care, then one day their tag-men on the opposite benches (or the Press Gallery) might pull said-same letter on them and start flapping it in their mug in the latest 'scandal'.

This principle - putting stuff in hard, unambiguous writing - has never been more important than now, what with the cunning linguistic obfuscator (dare you to say that ten times fast to your mum!) currently running the joint. I mean, just imagine if some public servant with foresight had advised the PM in WRITING about the 'kids overboard' or WMD lies when it counted, eh? By crikey, there'd have been no wriggling free from the consequences of his lies for JWH...

Oh yeah. They did, didn't they. Damn.

Still, a fine reminder, Russell. Even if it is a bit late for the FTA now.