What you said about Madonna King urging Australia to change voting age to 16

Should Australia change its voting age to 16? Some think so, others aren’t so sure. HAVE YOUR SAY

Sunday Mail columnist Madonna King says Australia should lower its voting age to 16. Picture David Clark

Should Australia’s voting age change to 16?

That simple question was posed by Courier-Mail columnist Madonna King – sparking a strong response from readers.

“At 16 our children can do almost anything except vote - and it’s time they were given that right,” she wrote.

“They can drive. Do adult time for an adult crime. Have their own tax file number, and pay tax. They are registered blood donors, and can visit a doctor without their parents’ knowledge.

“They can have sex, and marry with the permission of a court.

“... And we keep talking down to them like toddlers in our care.”

The UK’s decision to drop the voting age from 18 to 16 in time for the next national election should be applauded, King argued.

“We need to do the same here. Increasingly, every bit of expert advice points to the importance of giving a voice to those at the centre of our decision making,” she wrote.

“And yet teens, particularly those aged 16 to 18, are left stranded, with no part in decisions that impact them now, and into their future.

“... So what is stopping us doing it here?”

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Picture: Getty Images

The topic sparked furious debate among readers, many claiming 16 is just too young.

Others said the idea could work under the right circumstances, while some insisted there are wider issues.

More than 90 per cent of voters in an online poll said they did not support changing the age.

See what you had to say below and join the conversation >>>

WHAT YOU SAID

Not going to happen

Blair

Anyone who is pushing for 16 year Olds to vote is also likely to say that a 16 year old needs to be age restricted from the internet..... This is just authoritarian nonsense seeking to implement Socialism. Kids are too immature to vote logically and they know it.

Sounding Bored

I’m sorry but most 16yo are still in school so they don’t possess enough life experience to vote.

B

and as a Humanities teacher & having taught in public and ‘upmarket’ private schools, I can tell you that very few, very few, 16 & 17 year olds have any idea of what is really involved in voting and our 3-arm governmental system.

Here’s my view!

Well, it seems more than 80 percent of people in your own vote say you’re wrong, and so do I. Youth of that age, especially today with the garbage taught at schools now, do not have the brain cells to decide what is good or bad for the country. Most of them would vote Greenies, I rest my case!

Should we change the voting age?

This spells trouble

Kevin

This means Labor would win every election. As kids are brain washed in school that anything to do with conservatives is bad for the country.

Jasmine

So children are to be banned from social media including utube where they can source information and then suddenly vote the day after turning 16????

gayle

If you can vote at 16 you can fight for your country! So let’s get serious 18 you leave school You can drink and you can vote We should bring in national service as well. If you want to be an adult like vote then do adult things like fight for your country!

Linda

If the voting age is lowered to 16 then the age people are tried as adults in the courts should also be lowered to 16.

Is 16 too young to vote?

There are wider issues

Blair

The question that should be asked is this going to make our society better or worse? Look around, things are not getting better, we are in a state of managed decline and this will just increase the speed of the decline of Australia.

ross

All voting should be non compulsory.

Most 16 years olds don’t know anything about politics. For every one kid who might be interested, there’s 100 who don’t even know what the parties stand for.

We already have enough people getting elected because of donkey votes, let’s not add to it.

Zee

If you don’t vote you don’t get to criticise any politics as you obviously don’t care enough to have your say.

GLEN

Non compulsory voting helped Trump into office.