Senate debates

Wednesday, 20 June 2018

Adjournment

Voting Age

7:46 pm

Photo of Jordon Steele-JohnJordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

One of the joys of being a senator—and I'm currently the youngest to occupy that role in this place—has been meeting with hundreds of young people. I've had the opportunity to speak with them in my role and here in the parliament. I must say that often one of the best parts of my day is looking up into the galleries of this place and seeing the wonderful young faces looking down on us all. I reflect whether our actions here do them justice. I had the opportunity a couple of months ago, in the lead-up and aftermath of National Youth Week, to talk to young people from Kalgoorlie to Bunbury and Denmark about the issues that matter to them, about what they would like to see us here do, about their aspirations and hopes for the future and about the ways they would like them to be achieved. We spoke about myriad issues.

I must say that at times I was given pause to reflect on the fact that some of the debates and conversations that we had seemed to be more intelligent, more positive and better thought through than some of the debates I find that we engage in in this place. We spoke specifically in every context about how they would like to make their voice heard, how they would like to shape the political environment. Again and again they brought up with me the issue of lowering the voting age to 16 to give them the opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box because they didn't feel they were being heard now. So in that spirit I'd like to read some quotations from some young people who spoke with me.

In relation to lowering the voting age, one said that it would allow young Australian citizens to speak out; another said that members of parliament need to listen to the younger generations and that it would enable young people to have their voice heard by the politicians who determine our future; and, finally, another said—and this really stayed with me—that it would teach children that they have voices too. This person felt that at the moment only adults can be heard.

Two very passionate young people who I've had the honour to work with and campaign with in the past are Angela Lillyman and Harry Sulley. Angela said to me in a letter that she wrote and subsequently recorded:

If I got a voice in parliament, if I got a vote, I would vote for things like real action on climate change, because it's directly relating to my future, it is such a big issue, it's so prominent and it is not being effectively talked about or controlled by parliament.

Harry said:

I believe that lowering the voting age would introduce young people to political processes … I've been involved in the online political community and I can tell you there are thousands of young people like myself in Australia who are politically engaged but aren't given the chance to take part in the process. I work. I'm in a Union and I contribute to the economy and the community yet I don't have a say in how my country is run.

I have found over this time that 16- and 17-year-olds are passionate and want to have their say in our politics. They are overwhelmingly in favour of lowering the voting age, although those who weren't made arguments so eloquent and intricate that they made the case as to why they should be given the option if they wanted to be. I would like to sincerely thank the hundreds of young people who shared their passions, thoughts and insights into the future with me. Thank you to Angela and Harry for sharing their stories and adding their voices to the campaign. Thank you to the students of Georgiana Molloy high school in Busselton, the Bunbury Senior High School, Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School and Great Southern Grammar in Albany, to the numerous young people who attended our events throughout Youth Week and to the Goldfields Youth Support Services. I am proud to be your voice in this place.