Electoral (Lowering Voting Age for Local Elections and Polls) Legislation Bill

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It gives me immense pride to be able to take a call on this bill. Here we are finally at the first reading of making it 16 for local government elections. There is a wealth of knowledge that has been dispersed onto the internet about why we should be making it 16. I think the Make It 16 campaign should have the final say on this first reading.

The first reason why we need to make it 16: the current voting age of 18 is in breach of 16- and 17-year-olds’ fundamental human right to vote. Number two: lowering the voting age is a catalyst for better civics education. Number three: 16- and 17-year-olds already hold big responsibilities and make big life decisions. Number four: 16- and 17-year-olds paid $92 million in income tax in 2022. Number five: lowering the voting age has improved voter turnout in other countries. Number six: there’s already a growing list of countries that have lowered the voting age to 16. Number seven: the earlier you vote, the more likely you are to vote for the rest of your life. And, finally, number eight: lowering the voting age will allow more young people to vote and more voices to be heard.

I think there is plenty of reason why we should make it 16, and a special shout-out to Young Labour, who’ve been advocating for this since the early 2000s. I commend this bill to the House.

The question is, That the Electoral (Lowering Voting Age for Local Elections and Polls) Legislation Bill be considered by the Justice Committee.

Motion agreed to.

Bill referred to the Justice Committee.