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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Wednesday, 31 March 2004) . . Page.. 1456 ..

My final amendment adds a new paragraph to call on the government to investigate possibilities for lowering the voting age in the ACT, including an opportunity to allow young people to express their views on the subject. This option is discussed in report No 2 of the Democratic Audit of Australia on Political Equality in Australia, produced by researchers at the Australian National University. I note that Brazil currently allows its citizens to vote from the age of 16 as do some German states. The UK Electoral Commission is currently conducting a policy review to consider whether or not the United Kingdom’s minimum voting and candidacy ages should be lowered. Part of its motivation was alarm at the low participation rates of young people in elections. Lowering the voting age is seen as a useful means of increasing the voter participation of young people.

I acknowledge that Ms Tucker has previously raised this issue in the Assembly through a private member’s bill in 1996. However, I understand that it was never actually brought to a vote. I think it is high time we went back and reconsidered the issue. We have recently passed the Human Rights Act which states that every citizen has the right and is to have the opportunity to “vote and be elected at periodic elections, that guarantee the free expression of the will of the electors”. I note this is actually one of the few parts of the Human Rights Act that uses the word “citizen” as opposed to community members. (Extension of time granted.) To be a citizen you need to have the right to vote; it is one of the major parts of being a citizen. So we actually deny young people citizenship in this country.

I think there is a fair argument that cutting off the voting age at 18 is an unnecessary restriction on the participation of young people in their governance and that lowering the voting age is an appropriate to way to give effect to section 17 of the Human Rights Act. More importantly, people under 18 can make the decision to work, to drive a car, to move out of home, to join the military, to sign some contracts and to consent to sexual intercourse and they are old enough to be convicted of crimes and to form criminal intent. Why then are they not old enough to vote? The slogan of the American War of Independence was “no taxation without representation”. Young people pay taxes to both the territory and federal governments. Why should they not have a say in how that money is then spent?

The arguments against lowering the voting age are predictable. They go along the lines that young people are not mature enough, that they do not show enough interest in the political processes—as Mr Cornwell put forward, that they are not interested or in any way enthralled by politicians—or that they would make the decision on superficial or selfish grounds; black and white, as Mr Cornwell put it. These types of arguments are always put up against any change to the political franchise. Similar arguments were used against women when they fought for the vote and against allowing indigenous people to vote in this country.

The Democrats believe in universal suffrage and there is no good reason to leave young people out of the universal. I hope the rest of the Assembly can see the importance in calling for the government to examine an expansion in the voting franchise. I would like to make it clear that I have not anticipated any outcome with the amendment that I have moved. I have not tried to determine the results of any investigation. The age could be lowered to 15, 16 or 17. Enrolment or voting could be optional; it could be compulsory.

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