YOUR SAY: Should under-18s be allowed to vote? The NSW Greens are proposing legislation that would allow residents as young as 16 to be granted the right to vote in state elections. 9News MORE:
have put forward legislation that would see residents as young as 16 given the right to vote in the state.However, voting for those aged under 18 would not be compulsory and they would face no penalty for not casting a ballot.The bill would also allow people over the age of 14 to enrol with the electoral commission.
"There is a massive amount of political engagement and desire for change from young people, as youth led activist movements have shown us around the world and in Australia," Boyd said. "Young people in NSW already work and pay taxes. We accept they're old enough to open a bank account, learn to drive, have sex - they can even be criminally charged as an adult and go to prison.She said the major parties were focused on "what young people will grow up to become"."What gets overlooked is that young people have something important to say right now - they offer society a fresh vision and ideas, they push us to do things in a better way," Boyd said.
"When we give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote, we not only recognise that young people have something valuable to say, we also provide an incentive for political parties to listen and engage with their ideas."However, the likelihood of success is slim, with neither the incumbent Coalition government nor the Labor opposition having indicated they are likely to support it.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Greens to introduce bill to drop voting age to 16Giving teenagers the right to vote is a top priority for the Greens in 2023, as the party pushes to give younger Australians a say in politics. | rachelclun
Read more »
Greens push for voting age to be lowered to 16The NSW Greens have put forward legislation that would see 16- and 17-year-olds gain the right to vote in the state.
Read more »
Greens push to lower legal voting ageLowering the voting age to 16 will be one of the first issues put to parliament next year as the Greens push to give young Australians a voice in politics. Thousands of students have protested about climate change and demanded the right to vote, feeling they are being left out of critical decisions that impact them. According to recent surveys, more than 51 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds say the climate crisis is the most important issue in Australia.
Read more »
Greens to introduce bill to drop voting age to 16Australians aged 16 and 17 would have the right to vote if a Greens proposal wins support in parliament | rachelclun
Read more »
NSW best state in Australia for renewable energy, report findsNSW is the nation’s renewable energy leader as the state government increases investment in the sector and focuses on agenda-setting policies, according to a new report by WWF Australia | Laura_R_Chung
Read more »