Bill Shorten Calls For Voting Age To Be Lowered

[icyfroth]

The nation's voting age should be lowered to 16 because young Australians do not see their views reflected in Parliament, according to Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

In a speech to the New South Wales Young Labor conference in Sydney today, Mr Shorten said if people aged 16 and 17 can drive, work, pay taxes, join the military and make their own choices about medical treatment, they should also be allowed to vote.

Entire Article Here

Ooh getting desperate for votes now, Mr Shorton?

[myoclon1cjerk]

If that happened,more votes for the Greens. 😉

[moonflyte]

OMG, is there any more frivolous "policies" this person is going to "announce" How about getting the Labor senate members to pass some reform bills, that's what you got elected for.

[donnashuggy]

---

@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
If that happened,more votes for the Greens. 😉

---

Anything would be better than the young liberal thugs 🙂

[harley_babes_hoard]

Gotta try to get votes from somewhere, labor are desperate.

[*kazumi*]

I am all for giving kids the right, but NOT for it to be compulsory.  Those who are interested could vote, while the ignorant would not have to. 

[myoclon1cjerk]

They'd have to develop a voting app first 😄

[kilroy_is_here]

I don't know any 16 year olds who have the maturity to understand the enormity of voting , in fact I know a lot of 18 year olds who struggle with it. 

[janeababe]

---

@kilroy_is_here wrote:

I don't know any 16 year olds who have the maturity to understand the enormity of voting , in fact I know a lot of 18 year olds who struggle with it. 

---

plenty of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 ...... year olds struggle with it too......

[springyzone]

He's only calling for it as he thinks his party would pick up more voters from that age group.

I noticed he made the claim some of them pay taxes so they should get a vote.

Well, some 2 year olds might have to pay taxes in some circumstances, so i can't see that that is any reasonable argument.

The basic fact though is most 16 year olds do not pay taxes. If they commit crimes they are not even tried in an adult court, their names are not published in the paper. They can't be sent off to war, they aren't old enough to drink, drive or marry.

In other words, they are not considered adults in any other area.

Over the last few years, I have noticed a huge movement towards the rights of children. (I was in education & this movement was very much in vogue where children 'choose' what they want to know or learn about). I am all for children's rights in some areas but voting in my opinion is for adults..