Campaign date: June 2023 – ongoing
Campaign summary: In June 2023, the AFUO formally launched a grass-roots, digital community email campaign to advocate for more military aid for Ukraine. The campaign targets key political representatives including Federal Government Ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs).
The campaign supports the crucial role of the Ukrainian Embassy in Australia, led by His Excellency, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in formally engaging with the Australian Government and advancing requests for military, financial and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, along with additional diplomatic and legal pressure on russia.
The campaign complements a broader strategy of AFUO government engagement, which includes:
- A regular schedule of meetings with Ministers, MPs and senior political advisers.
- Building and sustaining support through the cross-party Federal Parliament Australia Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.
- Correspondence with all members and Senators in the Australian Parliament on important issues and priorities.
- Submissions to key parliamentary and official consultations on issues including Australian support for Ukraine, the Department of Defence Annual Report 2022-23, Australia’s sanctions regime, hate symbols, and expansion of Australia’s tax treaty network.
- Engagement with officials in departments including Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence.
- Advocacy around humanitarian visas for displaced Ukrainians in Australia and parliamentary motions (for example, commemorations of the full-scale russian invasion and recognising the 1932-33 Holodomor as genocide).
Campaign actions:
- Issuing AFUO “calls to action” urging community members/supporters to email and meet with their local MP, encouraging them to advocate for increased Australian military aid to Ukraine. The campaign invites individuals to share personal stories about how russia’s war against Ukraine has affected them.
- Supported by the AFUO’s strategic communications consultancy, SEC Newgate, establishing a campaign website; letter writing tool (the platform automatically populates the contact details for local MPs and key Ministers); template letters; AFUO handbook; flyer; and banner to leave with MPs.
- Holding workshops for interested community members to explore the power of personal stories and learn how to organise/ conduct meetings with MPs.
- Regularly engaging with AFUO state hromady to promote the military aid campaign and encourage community members to send emails to their local MPs.
- Repurposing the platform for other campaigns, such as sending letters to MPs regarding the Government’s decision to bury the Taipans; thanking MPs for supporting Ukraine; and the Antenna campaign
Campaign outcomes:
- To date, hundreds of emails have been sent to Federal MPs, an important means by which our community members have sought to persuade key decision-makers and influencers to support more military aid for Ukraine
- Engaging community members and supporters — be they part of the Ukrainian diaspora or wider Australian community — to support Ukraine in a way that is simple, focused and impactful, while strengthening our collective advocacy efforts
- Building capacity in our community by supporting motivated members to engage with the political process
Click here to visit the Campaign for Ukraine page.
Please note the ‘email ticker’ resets to 0 at the start of each dedicated campaign, so it does not accurately reflect the total number of emails sent.
