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Inquiry Into the Eligible Voting Age

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Inquiry Into the Eligible Voting Age STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE Inquiry into the Eligible Voting Age SEPTEMBER 2007 Report 5 STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE Committee Membership Ms Mary Porter AM MLA Chair Mr Mick Gentleman MLA Deputy Chair Mrs Vicki Dunne MLA Member Secretariat Dr Sandra Lilburn Committee Secretary Ms Lydia Chung Administration Support Contact information Phone: (02) 6205 0127 Fax: (02) 6205 0432 E‐mail: [email protected] Website: www.parliament.gov.au/committees Post: GPO Box 1020 CANBERRA ACT 2601 i STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE Resolution of Appointment On the 7 December 2004 the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory resolved to establish the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Young People to examine matters related to early childhood education and care, primary, secondary, post secondary and tertiary education and vocational training, non‐government education, youth and family services, technology, arts and culture, sport and recreation. Terms of Reference At its meeting on Wednesday, 29 March 2006, the Assembly passed the following resolution: “That this Assembly: (1) notes some support for the establishment of a scheme which allows 16 and 17 year old ACT residents to vote in elections and referendums for the ACT Legislative Assembly; and (2) refers the proposal to the Standing committee on Education, Training and Young People for inquiry and report back to the Assembly on or before 1 October 2007.” ii INQUIRY INTO THE ELIGIBLE VOTING AGE TABLE OF CONTENTS Committee Membership.............................................................................. i Secretariat ................................................................................................... i Contact information..................................................................................... i Resolution of Appointment ........................................................................ ii Terms of Reference .................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ...................................................................................... iii Abbreviations ..............................................................................................v Recommendations ................................................. vii 1 Introduction........................................................ 1 Conduct of the Inquiry.................................................................................1 2 Overview ............................................................ 3 3 The ACT electoral landscape ................................. 5 Relevant legislation .....................................................................................6 The ACT electoral roll..................................................................................6 Voter turnout ...............................................................................................7 Enrolment and voting entitlements ............................................................8 Voting and candidacy ..................................................................................9 4 Democratic participation and citizenship .............. 11 Democratic participation ...........................................................................12 Citizenship entitlement or obligation........................................................16 Political participation and young people ..................................................21 A reasonable age of eligibility ..................................................................25 5 Feasibility issues .............................................. 27 Consistency with other jurisdictions.........................................................27 Compulsory enrolment and voting ...........................................................30 Voting entitlement and candidacy ............................................................37 Resource implications ...............................................................................38 6 Implications for democracy ................................. 41 Supporting participation ...........................................................................43 Relevance of political processes ...............................................................44 iii STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE Cynicism about the political system .........................................................46 Political priorities of young people...........................................................47 Civics education.........................................................................................50 7 Conclusion ....................................................... 57 APPENDIX A: Submissions to the Inquiry ................ 59 APPENDIX B: Public Hearings ................................ 61 APPENDIX C: Visits .............................................. 63 APPENDIX D: Clarification on electoral legislation ... 65 iv INQUIRY INTO THE ELIGIBLE VOTING AGE Abbreviations AEC Australian Electoral Commission ARC Australian Research Council ACT Australian Capital Territory ACT CRC ACT College Representative Committee DAA Democratic Audit of Australia JSCEM Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters MYC Minister’s Youth Council MCEETYA Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs YES Youth Electoral Study Legislation Commonwealth Electoral Act Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 Electoral Act Electoral Act 1992 (ACT) Proportional Representation Act Proportional Representation (Hare‐Clarke) Entrenchment Act 1994 (ACT) Self‐Government Act Australian Capital Territory (Self‐ Government) Act 1988 (Cth) v STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE vi INQUIRY INTO THE ELIGIBLE VOTING AGE RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATION 1 4.73 The Committee recommends that the level of support for the proposal to lower the voting age be reconsidered by the Legislative Assembly before the end of 2010. RECOMMENDATION 2 5.34 The Committee recommends that the Australian Parliament be asked to amend Section 67B of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 Act to ensure consistency between the ACT and Commonwealth Electoral Acts on the intent of provisional enrolment. RECOMMENDATION 3 5.49 The Committee recommends that, should a proposal to lower the voting age be pursued, the integrity of the compulsory voting system be preserved. RECOMMENDATION 4 6.31 The Committee recommends that the Legislative Assembly consider the opportunities provided to young people to actively engage in aspects of the political process and develop strategies to increase participation of young people in formal political events and in processes to provide feedback on policy or legislative proposals. RECOMMENDATION 5 6.72 The Committee recommends that all civics and citizenship resources provide explanations of how public administration can account for the interests and needs of all citizens, the scope of this capacity in our democracy and the avenues open for public participation in decision-making processes. RECOMMENDATION 6 6.73 The committee recommends that the Minister for Education and Training ensures that accurate and engaging learning materials, that deal with the specific attributes of the ACT political system and ensure all schools actively promote democratic principles and the attributes of active citizenship, be developed for use in all ACT schools. vii STANDING COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUNG PEOPLE RECOMMENDATION 7 6.74 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government undertake to extend the effectiveness of civics education strategies in promoting awareness and confidence in young people of the specific characteristics of the ACT system of democracy. RECOMMENDATION 8 6.75 The Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider the potential for the “student vote” model to extend and enhance the delivery of practical civics education opportunities for all young people in the ACT. RECOMMENDATION 9 7.3 The Committee recommends that the ACT Electoral Commission provide indicators of youth participation in the annual report by including data on the current rate of provisional enrolment for 17 year olds. RECOMMENDATION 10 7.4 The Committee recommends that the ACT Electoral Commission, the Legislative Assembly and the Department of Education and Training continue to collaborate in the development and expansion of opportunities for active learning about democracy in the ACT. viii INQUIRY INTO THE ELIGIBLE VOTING AGE 1 1 INTRODUCTION Conduct of the Inquiry 1.1 Following a resolution on 29 March 20061, the Committee accepted a reference from the Legislative Assembly to inquire into a proposal to lower the voting age to allow 16 and 17 year old ACT residents to vote in elections and referendums for the ACT Legislative Assembly 1.2 The Committee is required to report back to the Assembly on or before 1 October 2007. 1.3 On 11 April 2006, the Committee discussed the scope of the Inquiry and determined to consider the following issues which have a bearing on the electoral participation of young people: National conformity and consistency with other jurisdictions; The legal implications of compulsory enrolment and voting for young people; Eligibility for election to the ACT Legislative Assembly; Resource implications of extending and maintaining the ACT electoral roll; Issues affecting
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