Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Wednesday, 31 March 2004) . . Page.. 1460 ..

domain to the 18 to 24-year-olds that we need them to enrol, that they are an integral part of our community: “Come and join us and exercise your right.”

As Mr Stefaniak put it, and I have heard him say it in this place before, people are dying overseas in wars to try to get the right to do what we are taking somewhat for granted. I have said that in this place before. We need to tell people out there what this is all about. This is a golden right; this is something that is to be cherished and nurtured. Let us put it out there in the public arena; but let us not grey up or blur the issue by talking about dropping the age. I am going to sit down now. I will vote against Ms Dundas’s amendments but I thank her very much for her passion.

Ordered that the amendments be divided.

Question put:

That amendment No 1 be agreed to.

Question resolved in the negative.

Question put:

That amendment No 2 be agreed to.

Question resolved in the negative.

Question put:

That amendment No 3 be agreed to.

Question resolved in the negative.

MRS CROSS (5.23): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move two amendments together.

Leave granted.

MRS CROSS: I move:

(1) Paragraph (2), after “examine”, insert “further”.

(2) Paragraph (2), add “and acknowledges the initiatives the Electoral Commission currently has in place to address this matter;”.

I would like to commend Mr Hargreaves on the intention of his motion. It is a good motion, but I am just a little concerned with paragraph 2 because it implies that the ACT Electoral Commission is not doing anything to examine ways to encourage young people to enrol to vote. I have been given a document by the Electoral Commissioner himself, who has graced us with his presence in the chamber today, indicating a number of initiatives that the ACT Electoral Commission is progressing with to encourage young people to vote. I am not going to read them, because my colleague Mr Stefaniak has already covered these initiatives, but it is very important that we acknowledge the fact that the Electoral Commission is doing something—in fact, more than just something; it

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .