Things to know

Advocacy Explained

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is when a person, group, or organisation show public support for an issue. The overall aim of advocacy is to influence the people who make decisions (for example, law makers), and guide them toward making good decisions about that issue. Before we get into doing advocacy, it’s worth looking at why it matters; what type of advocacy will suit your issue and what you want to achieve; and some terms you will come across when you start doing advocacy.

Example: When the LGBTQI community wanted to see the Marriage Act changed to include same sex marriages, they advocated for it to change. They did this through advertising, media, petitions, government appeals, and personal story sharing.

Different types of advocacy

Why does advocacy matter?

Defining the terms

Government Explained

What is Government?

Why does knowing about government matter when I just want to make some change in my community? In order to make change in your community, whether it’s a local, state, or national issue, it’s a good idea to understand how government works, so you can understand where to direct your energy! 

The Australian Government are the main group of decision makers, and therefore change makers, in this country. The government are in control of providing the money to pay for public services (like hospitals and roads), actually providing these services, changing laws, enforcing laws, and deciding on policy that will change how our whole society is run (find out what a policy is here). 

The government as a whole can be tricky to understand, but we’ve tried our best to break it down for you. There are three levels of government; local, state, and federal. Within each of these, there are three different groups that have different functions; The Executive Government, The Legislative Government, and The Judicial Government.  

At all levels and in all types of government, YOU have a place, and your opinion matters.

Local, State, and Federal Government

How does it all work?

Where do I fit in?

Defining the terms

Definitions and Glossary

Government has a lot of words and terms connected to it that are hard to understand.

Defining the terms

Other Resources

There are lots of issues that need to change for the better in NSW. Luckily there are a lot of people and organisations out there already doing their part. If you want to work on the big issues, chances are there’s someone out there you can get in touch with and offer to support.

The list below doesn’t include every issue you might be passionate about and only has one example of an organisation working in that area. There’s plenty more, this list is just to get you started so don’t forget to do some research.

Mental health

Headspace – https://headspace.org.au/

Climate Change

Climate Council – https://www.climatecouncil.org.au

Refugee and Asylum Seekers

United Nations – http://www.un.org

Alcohol and Other Drugs

Alcohol and Drug Foundation – https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/

Physical Health

NSW Health – https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/youth/Pages/default.aspx

Endangered Species

WWF – https://www.wwf.org.au

War on Waste

Clean Up Australia – https://www.cleanup.org.au/fact-sheets

Poverty

NCOSS – https://www.acoss.org.au/poverty/

Healthy Relationships

Play Safe – https://playsafe.health.nsw.gov.au/

Racism/multiculturalism

MYAN – http://www.myan.org.au/nsw/

LGBTIQA+

Twenty10 – https://www.twenty10.org.au/

Domestic Violence

White Ribbon – https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/