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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Wednesday, 31 March 2004) . . Page.. 1453 ..

does not come as any great surprise to me that youth, who tend to see things in black and white—and I am not being critical with that—

Mr Wood: Some people here see things in black and white, too

MR CORNWELL: Yes, yes. Some of them do not see them at all, Mr Wood! But it is true: young people tend to see things in black and white rather than—

Ms Dundas: Graffiti cans come in all different colours.

MR CORNWELL: if I may again put on a political hat—in the cynical grey of political self-interest. I do not see anything wrong. I did not catch Ms Dundas’s interjection, but it was not an offensive comment on my part, Ms Dundas, that they see things in black and white. It is perfectly reasonable that they are intense in their beliefs and their views.

Unless we are prepared to think seriously about lifting our game in terms of this, we can try all we like to encourage people to enrol and, we hope, to vote—not informally, but in some positive sense—and they still will not. Although I support Mr Hargreaves’s motion, I do not think it is simply a matter of saying, “Let’s get out there and sell this wonderful democratic right.” We must also look to our own behaviour—as should all politicians—so that people are keen to enrol to vote and to exercise that democratic right.

I have no simple solution to this. I have delivered a little homily today, to myself and to other members. But I do think it is an important factor in the problem of getting people, particularly young people, to enrol. I commend the motion. I also commend my comments to the house.

MS DUNDAS (4.56): I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate as one of only a very few young people across the country who have actually had the privilege of being elected to represent their community. Most people who represent their electorates are over the age of 40 and it is actually quite rare to find representatives younger than that, so it is from that personal view quite exciting to be participating in this debate.

I would like to start by congratulating Mr Hargreaves for bringing this motion to the attention of the Assembly, especially in Youth Week, and I am glad that there are members of this Assembly who are willing to look at this issue and debate it, because often issues surrounding youth are overlooked. I also want to make it quite clear that I very much agree with the intention of Mr Hargreaves’s motion. However, I have three amendments to this motion to clarify its intention and extend its scope and I seek leave to move the amendments together.

Leave granted.

MS DUNDAS: I move:

(1) Omit paragraph (1), substitute:

“(1) Notes the Australia-wide trend that some younger voters are not currently listed on the electoral role because they have had fewer opportunities to enrol, and that this also applies to the ACT;”

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