Lowering the voting age to 16 will be one of the first bills introduced when parliament resumes, as the Greens outline their legislative priorities.
The minor party, which holds the balance of power in the Senate, says it wants the bill to be the first cab off the rank in the lower house next year.
But the bill is unlikely to succeed without the support of the government.
It’s not the first time the Greens have introduced a bill to lower the voting age. Western Australian senator Jordon Steele-John also moved to do so in 2018.
The new Greens MP for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, will have another crack at it in 2023, saying young people deserve a seat at the table.
He said major issues such as climate change, the economy and costs of living were affecting young people but they had no way of having their voices heard.
“They have limited ways to hold politicians to account,” he said.
“Students are taking to the streets in their thousands to demand action on the climate crisis.
“They have no other choice. They’re being left out of the critical decisions that impact them and want their voices to be heard.”
The Brisbane MP said 16-year-olds were trusted to drive cars, enlist in the army and work.
“Yet they have no say in the composition of their own government,” he said.
Sixteen-year-olds can vote in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Estonia, Malta, Scotland and Wales.
In Sudan, South Sudan, Indonesia and Greece, the legal voting age is 17.
Last month, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed personal support for lowering that country’s voting age. It came after the nation’s Supreme Court ruled banning 16-year-olds from voting was a breach of their human rights.
Mr Bates has submitted a notice of intention to move his private members’ bill when parliament resumes in February.
The Greens’ ACT colleagues also introduced a bill at the end of 2021 to lower the voting age to 16 for territory elections.
– with AAP
