Bill Shorten wants the voting age lowered to 16

LABOR leader Bill Shorten wants the voting age lowered to 16, in a move he argues is needed to correct democracy’s “participation problem”.

Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten takes in the surroundings during Sunday's 30th Anniversary weekend of the hand back of Uluru.

LABOR leader Bill Shorten wants the voting age lowered to 16 - in a move he argues is needed to correct democracy’s “participation problem”.

It would be the first reduction in the qualifying age since 1973 when it went from 21 years - standard since Federation in 1901- to 18 years.

Labor believes extension of the franchise to thousands of younger electors could swing the national debate on issues such as climate change and education funding.

And it will point to countries such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Indonesia which have voting ages below 18 years in local and national elections.

Mr Shorten today will tell a NSW Young Labor conference young people “see a Parliament that isn’t shaped by your views or your reality”.

He will commit a Labor government to lowering the franchise age.

“Perhaps it’s no wonder that our democracy has a participation problem - especially among young people,” says his speech.

“Consider this: 400,000 Australians turned 18 between 2010 and 2013 - and did not enrol to vote.

“Too many of your peers are falling through the cracks in our democracy. More fines and penalties from the AEC won’t fix this.

“More speeches from politicians won’t change it. Only you can change that.”

Mr Shorten said he wanted Australia “to think about lowering the voting age, to give more young Australians a say”, and argued young people without the vote already played other roles traditionally reserved for adults.

He said in 2012/13, more than 17,000 Australians under 18 paid $41 million in taxes - in addition to the GST.

“And if Australia trusts our 16 and 17 year old citizens to pay tax and work; to join the military; to drive on our roads; to fly a plane; to make independent decisions about their medical care.

“Then we - the Parliament of Australia - should extend that trust to include a direct, empowered say in our democracy.”

Shadow parliamentary secretary for youth, NSW Senator Sam Dastyari, has been put in charge of a strategy to consult affected groups and draw up recommendations for extending voting rights to 16- or 17-year-olds.

Labor also will look at ways to improve enrolments of young people when they reach voting age and ways to improve the engagement of young people with disability, young indigenous people, and those living in outer suburban, regional and remote Australia.

And the ALP will not ignore the possibility younger voters will favour policies their older counterparts are still unsure of.

“Australia can’t overcome the challenges of the next 15-20 years, the challenges of the next generation, without your generation,” says Shorten in his speech.

“We need your ideas, your energy, your ambition for our nation to be the best it can be.”

He will say: “Young Australians like you deserve the right to shape the laws and policies that shape your lives.”

They would include “marriage equality; real action on climate change; the equal treatment of women; youth wages; a better university system; international development; and animal welfare”.

Originally published as Bill Shorten wants the voting age lowered to 16