Page 801 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 29 March 2006
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youth were able to vote for either of them or Greens, or Democrats, or Independents, would they be voting wrong? No. All voters have their own reasons for voting. We might disagree with their reasons, but we have to respect their right to make that decision. We must also respect our young people.
The key reason for allowing young people to vote is that politicians will have to start listening to them on key issues that concern them, whether it is poverty, employment, education, environment or the general generational divide. A high percentage of young people are living in poverty or working to survive. Around 45 per cent of homeless Australians are under the age of 25.
In 2005, the percentage of young people aged 15 to 19 participating in the national work force was 56 per cent; 32 per cent were working full time, with a mean pay of $395 per week; 15 per cent were unemployed; and 11 per cent were underemployed. The level of taxation they face can affect the amount of income left to live on. They have no say in where that taxation goes at the moment. When young people enter the work force, they will bear the brunt of the new IR laws. They usually lack economic power, experience and skills to negotiate with employers over terms and conditions and, without the vote, they lack political power as well. In many ways, our youth are expected to act like adults but are not given the same rights. If we want their money it is all fine, but give them the ability to have a say and the response is “cannot go there”.
Young people have a unique view of the environment. Their commitment to the environment is based on the fact that they will live with it the longest. They understand its intricacies and interconnectedness better than previous generations because they are taught about it. They will also have to clean up—and this is the important point—the environmental damage of previous generations. A lower voting age will allow those environmental views to be better represented in our government. With the right to vote, young people will have the political power needed to help protect our planet’s future.
In opinion polls, voters consistently rate education policies and increased education expenditure as among their highest priorities. Despite this support, education proposals often face uncertain futures. While most adults support strong education funding, their support is weakened in part by the fact that only adult family members can vote. A single parent with three children has less voting power than a childless couple. Measures for increased education funding often fail by narrow margins. Youth, unlike most adults, must live daily with inadequate education funding.
Finally, there is the generational divide occurring with an ageing population. The elderly turn out in large numbers to protect their interests. We all know about grey power! The proportion of votes they have will increase in the coming years. In the meantime, taxes on younger generations are expected to increase to support that ageing population, despite some young people not being given a say. The Assembly will also have to start thinking about issues that affect young people not only now but also 50 years down the track. Maybe if young people were given some power to vote on decisions made about them, better laws would result. Some of you may say that it is young people’s own fault for not engaging in formal political processes but I believe we have set up a system that discourages young people’s engagement.
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