“Young people, including 16 and 17-year-olds pay tax; they can drive cars, they can serve in the military at the age of 17, they should be able to vote,” then-Labor leader Bill Shorten said.
But that was eight years ago, and young Australians believe the time they’ve spent waiting for the voting age to be lowered is time they don’t have.
“Lowering the voting age dramatically increases the chances of climate justice,” The Guardian political reporter Amy Remiekis said.
“Young people have more of a stake in the future than older Australians do but none of the power to change it.”
Youth campaigners ‘Make It 16’ is taking matters into their own hands, demanding young Aussies get the right to take their politics off the streets and into a voting booth.
“Young people we’ve seen, especially in recent years, mobilise, get on the streets,” co-founder Tabitha Stephenson-Jones told the ABC.
But, when it gets to the ballot box, they, unfortunately, don’t have a say.
Young Australians are left feeling unheard and unrepresented.
National Media Co-Lead and Victorian State Organiser ‘Make It 16’ Ravin Desai told The Project Australia should lower the age because 16-17 year olds have a long list of responsibilities the same as adults.
“Whether it be driving, consenting to sex, consenting to medical procedures and even enlisting in the army here,” he said.
“And yet they don’t have a say in political decisions that are becoming increasingly more important in their lives.”
Desai was recently in Canberra to speak with politicians about the age change, and said he thinks they “had a lot of luck” during the discussions.
“I spoke to quite a few prominent politicians on both sides of the aisle and they were all very supportive on this issue,” he said.
“They all believe it is important that we give young people a true voice.”
Desai said politicians talk a lot about “speaking to young people” but don’t actually engage with the youth.
“We don’t care about party lines, we don’t care about party politics,” Desai said.
“We aren’t just going to vote for the same party for 40 years because that’s what we did and that’s what our parents did.
“We care about policy, we care about the actual decisions that our governments make.”
