Caleb Bond: Giving young people the right to vote at 16 is fraught with danger

GIVING young people the right to vote at 16 in state or federal elections is fraught with danger, writes Caleb Bond.

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TEENAGERS do not like being told to do things. Just ask my boss. So why would anyone think that forcing young people to vote will make them any more interested in politics?

It’s a fact of life. Teens want to do what they can’t and they won’t do what they have to. It’s fine. We let them bum around for a little while until they work things out.

But now the Youth Affairs Council of South Australia wants to give 16-year-olds the vote. Though in our system, it’s not so much being given the vote as being forced to vote.

If we listen to the supporters of lowering the voting age, it’ll be like a big, warm hug. Welcome the young-uns and wrap them in the warm blanket of politics. Fat chance.

Politics is completely different for young people. Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly, who is also pushing for the age drop, says youths are less interested in politicians but still interested in politics. She is, in part, correct.

But it’s wrong to think lowering the voting age will help.

The only party to so-far support the move is the Greens — which makes sense given they stand to gain the votes of predominantly left-leaning youths.

Young people, by and large, are invested in issues instead of parties. Their interest is not in politics or politicians but in matters they care about — particularly social issues.

Last year’s same-sex marriage postal survey is a prime example. More than 65,000 people below the age of 24 enrolled to vote in the lead-up to the survey. They weren’t interested in politics — they would have already been on the roll, otherwise — but they wanted to have their say on one issue.

Many of them would have a very basic understanding of how Australia’s political system works. Many of them would have little interest in federal or state politics.

The only reason they signed up was to have their say on same-sex marriage.

This is not indicative of broader political interest. Walk into a high school and ask students about what goes on in Parliament House. They’ll be able to tell you who the prime minister is and they’ll likely know the name of the premier. I doubt they’ll be able to tell you Steven Marshall is Opposition Leader.

Why? They don’t care. They’ve never been encouraged to care.

But ask about same-sex marriage and they’ll all have strong opinions.

I have been a political nut since primary school, and during high school I often found myself explaining politics to other students. But some of the questions were quite alarming.

I was once asked by another student whether Australia had a president. To me, it seemed ridiculous. But when you consider that no one had ever bothered to explain the system to her, it’s no surprise.

Giving people like her the vote at 16 will not make them better citizens.

It won’t engage them in the broader world of politics.

You first have to teach them about the system. They have to understand our Westminster system and how their votes flow. They need to know the basics of how parliament functions.

Is it any wonder young people are not interested in politics when no one has bothered to explain it to them? They view it as complicated and boring. Giving young people the vote without a solid understanding of politics is like handing them a loaded gun without any training. It’s dangerous and it’s scary. We already have enough clueless adult voters without introducing more people into the mix.

And what of the fact the age for adulthood remains at 18? Will you be able to choose our next premier but not have a beer? If Nick Xenophon is successful in raising the smoking age to 21, the gap gets even bigger.

We don’t need a hodgepodge of different ages for different rights. Set one age and stick with it.

I want young people to be interested and involved in politics, but it can’t be forced. That only stands to turn them off further. If we’re serious about youth engagement, first convince them to be part of the discussion. Forget the grandiose policies.

Follow @TheCalebBond