Want to give a politician a piece of your mind but don't know how to go about it — or if it is even worth it?

While yelling or getting abusive online is only going to make things worse, Leanne Minshull from the think tank Australia Institute Tasmania said contacting politicians can and does bring about change.

"It's the community who decides who gets elected," Ms Minshull said.

"It's the community who should be helping politicians set a pathway to where we want to go, and you can't do that if you're not engaging."

Ms Minshull said contacting a politician would at least make them aware of an issue, even if it did not change their stance.

How to best get your point across

Ms Minshull said the best way to contact a politician was in a way that you feel most comfortable with.

"I don't know why it is, but there's something about having to ring somebody in a position of authority, it makes you nervous," she said.

"I used to work in a minister's office and receive correspondences, but I rang Malcolm Turnbull's office last week and I got butterflies in my stomach before I did it."

Ringing a politician's office can sometimes be the most effective way to communicate quickly, Ms Minshull said.

But it is not all that likely you will get to speak to the politician directly.

"If you're ringing up a politician at a time when other people have been encouraged to ring ... you might get a recorded message because the number of calls coming in is too large," Ms Minshull said.

"You could also get someone who's paid to be on the front desk ... and he or she will probably have lines already prepared to say to the people who are calling.

"If it's not as hot an issue, you might get through to an adviser [but] I've never heard of you getting straight through to a politician."

Meeting face to face is how to be heard

Ms Minshull said if you wanted to make sure you were heard, speaking in person to your local politician really worked.

"If they're your local member or a senator of your state, I would also encourage people to ring up and make a time to meet with their elected representatives," she said.

"It's important to remember they are our representatives."

When meeting with a state or federal representative, Ms Minshull said it was important to remember they were just people like us.

"Just remember you're talking to another human being that just happens to be doing a job at that moment," she said.

Writing to your local representative is not as direct as phoning them but still can make a difference. ( 612 ABC Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

"You should be talking to them and communicating to them in just the same way as if you're standing in your local supermarket talking to somebody at the checkout aisle."

Writing letters and emails still worth the effort

If phoning and meeting with your local politician sounds far too scary or time consuming, writing to them can still have an impact.

"If you write in correspondence, you will get some correspondence back by and large ... even if it's only a form letter," Ms Minshull said.

Sending an email will usually get a response too, but if it is part of a large campaign, it probably will not be personalised.

"If you're emailing in about an issue that multiple people are emailing about, you'll just get a standard reply back."