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The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
An interest in politics is great, but only adults should be allowed to vote
When I was 16, Brian Henderson read the news, the Herald was a broadsheet and the best gaming computer was the Amiga 500. Today's young people have an entire universe of information at their fingertips, can interact with each other across the globe in real time and are arguably more aware of social and political issues than my generation was at 16. It's for this reason that some argue Australia should follow the UK in reducing the voting age to 16. It's estimated that the move will result in 1.6 million young people being allowed to cast a ballot for the first time at the next UK election. Following last week's announcement by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australia's Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek responded, 'I think there's a lot of 16-year-olds out there who take a very keen interest in politics.' Not a ringing endorsement, but neither was it a rejection of the idea. There was a much stronger response from the independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, who told the media that she would prioritise introducing a bill to parliament calling for a lowering of Australia's minimum voting age from 18 to 16. Interviewed on ABC NewsRadio, she said: 'Around the world, there is a global move to lower the voting age. The fact is in democracies we see that fewer and fewer young people feel they are actively engaged and supported by government, and they're turning away from politics, and what we want to do is bring them back.' However, an interest in politics and socio-economic issues does not directly translate into the necessity for enfranchisement of young people considered 'minors' in every other regulatory context. To that end, Australia has the right balance relative to the US and the UK, where age limits vary and in some cases seem nonsensical.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
An interest in politics is great, but only adults should be allowed to vote
When I was 16, Brian Henderson read the news, the Herald was a broadsheet and the best gaming computer was the Amiga 500. Today's young people have an entire universe of information at their fingertips, can interact with each other across the globe in real time and are arguably more aware of social and political issues than my generation was at 16. It's for this reason that some argue Australia should follow the UK in reducing the voting age to 16. It's estimated that the move will result in 1.6 million young people being allowed to cast a ballot for the first time at the next UK election. Following last week's announcement by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australia's Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek responded, 'I think there's a lot of 16-year-olds out there who take a very keen interest in politics.' Not a ringing endorsement, but neither was it a rejection of the idea. There was a much stronger response from the independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, who told the media that she would prioritise introducing a bill to parliament calling for a lowering of Australia's minimum voting age from 18 to 16. Interviewed on ABC NewsRadio, she said: 'Around the world, there is a global move to lower the voting age. The fact is in democracies we see that fewer and fewer young people feel they are actively engaged and supported by government, and they're turning away from politics, and what we want to do is bring them back.' However, an interest in politics and socio-economic issues does not directly translate into the necessity for enfranchisement of young people considered 'minors' in every other regulatory context. To that end, Australia has the right balance relative to the US and the UK, where age limits vary and in some cases seem nonsensical.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
New Zealand suffering brain drain from emigration
StatsNZ figures show nearly 30,000 people moved from New Zealand to Australia last year, citing better pay and conditions for their departure. It was the highest level of emigration to Australia since it peaked in 2012 at nearly 44,000. ABC NewsRadio's William Terite spoke to Shamubeel Eaqub about the widening gap in conditions between the two neighbours.
ABC News
03-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
How to deal with disturbing and traumatic news?
Calls are mounting for childcare system reform following dozens of charges against Joshua Dale Brown. The 26-year-old is accused of abusing eight children at a centre in Point Cook, but authorities advised the families of 1,200 children to seek testing for infectious diseases, based on his work at 20 centres across the city. The disturbing details of this story have been tough listening for most of us this week, but they can also trigger trauma for survivors. The Blue Knot Foundation provides help for those with complex trauma. President Dr Cathy Kezelman spoke with ABC NewsRadio's Laura Tchilinguirian.
ABC News
02-07-2025
- ABC News
10 years on from child sexual abuse RC, nothing has changed
ABC NewsRadio's Sarah Morice spoke with Robert Fitzgerald AM, a lawyer who served as a Commissioner on The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Commission, which went for 5 years recommended a standardised working with children check on a national database.... It still hasn't happened. It comes amid renewed calls for reform after a childcare worker in Victoria was charged with more than 70 offences, including sexual offences.
