ACT Legislative Assembly: Canberrans can have their say on lowering voting age

An inquiry into a proposal that would allow 16-year-olds to vote in ACT elections is now open for public input.

Canberrans can now have their say about lowering the voting age of ACT elections.

An inquiry into a bill tabled in the ACT Legislative Assembly by Greens MLAs Johnathan Davis and Andrew Braddock that would lower the voting age in the ACT from 18 to 16 is now accepting feedback from the public.

Canberrans can enter submissions to the inquiry until January 28 and members of the public can also fill out an online survey on the bill until February 7.

The inquiry into the bill is led by the ACT’s Justice and Community Safety Committee, which will run a public hearing into the proposal on February 3 and will submit a report to Assembly before March 3.

Greens MLA Johnathan Davis fronted the media on December 2 before tabling a bill aimed at lowering the voting age for ACT elections to 16.

The Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 was tabled on December 2.

Before tabling the proposal Davis said young people would be “disproportionately burdened” by decisions made by governments today and therefore deserved a say.

“Young people will inherit the outcomes of those decisions (and) they deserve to be represented in the vote,” he said on December 2.

If passed, the bill would make it compulsory for ACT residents aged 16 and above to vote in territory elections.

For information about making a submission, or to participate in the survey go to the inquiry’s website.