1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Already and this this is the Daily OS. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 2: This is the Daily OS. 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 3: Oh, now it makes sense. 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 4: Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Monday, 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 4: the twenty first of July. 6 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 3: I'm Billy fitz. 7 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 5: Simon's I'm Emma Gillespie. 8 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 4: The British Government has announced it will lower the voting 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 4: age to sixteen for all elections across the UK, fulfilling 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 4: a key election promise made by the center left Labor 11 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 4: Party during the last year's campaign. The new voting age 12 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 4: is set to come into effect by the next general 13 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 4: election in twenty twenty nine. Today we are breaking down 14 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 4: what this means for British democracy and how it compares 15 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 4: to Australia's approach to youth voting. But before we get there, 16 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 4: here is a quick message from today's sponsor, Philly. 17 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 3: We are talking. 18 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 5: Today about a major change that has been announced in 19 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 5: the UK. The British Government has announced it's lowering the 20 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 5: voting age from eighteen to sixteen years old. We've had 21 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 5: a lot of conversations about lowering the voting age in 22 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 5: recent years. There's discussion here in Australia and right around 23 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 5: the world, but it is pretty significant for such a 24 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 5: huge democracy to make a shift like this. What exactly 25 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 5: has been announced in the UK? 26 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 4: Okay, So the government and keep in mind this is 27 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 4: a new government. So like I said at the start, 28 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,680 Speaker 4: this is the Labor Party who is in government. They 29 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 4: are center left and they took over from the center 30 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 4: right Conservative Party at the last election. 31 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 5: Led by Prime Minister Kirs Starmer exactly. 32 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,839 Speaker 4: And so they have announced that the new voting age 33 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 4: in the UK will be sixteen. Now that's down from eighteen. 34 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 4: So currently you have to be eighteen to vote in 35 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 4: elections and that's all elections, and now it will be 36 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 4: sixteen after this comes into effect. 37 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 5: So when you say all elections, does that mean at 38 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 5: all levels of government like local council. 39 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 4: Local general elections, any referendums there might be. And what 40 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 4: they've also announced is that you'll be able to register 41 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 4: from the age of fourteen. So that's just to be 42 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 4: able to get ready to vote by the time you 43 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 4: are sixteen. Now on the registration, the government has also 44 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 4: said that they do plan to make registrations automatic eventually, okay, 45 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 4: but for now it is still something that you manually 46 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 4: have to do, which is the same as it is 47 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 4: here in Australia. Also in the policy paper announcing this change, 48 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 4: they really said that this is all about engaging the 49 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 4: youth in democracy and really trying to increase participation from 50 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 4: the youth in politics. 51 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 5: Okay, so the thinking behind sort of opening up registration 52 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 5: at age fourteen is that more about kind of harnessing 53 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 5: the two years before someone might become a legal voting 54 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 5: age to help educate them on civics and get them 55 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 5: ready for what that responsibility means. 56 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's to get them ready and to 57 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 4: get them excited. You know, if you start talking about 58 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 4: it from the age of fourteen and then by the 59 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 4: time you're ready by sixteen, you know, you're kind of 60 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 4: building this process where throughout these formative years you're really 61 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,119 Speaker 4: engaging with the democratic process. 62 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 5: Billy, what is behind this change? Because, like I mentioned, 63 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 5: it's not the first time we've heard about momentum in 64 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 5: terms of lowering the voting age. But why is it 65 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 5: happening now in the UK? Why does the government there 66 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 5: think it's necessary? 67 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 4: So they said that this is a decision that is 68 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 4: based on allowing young people to have a say in 69 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 4: shaping their own future. So acknowledging there that the government 70 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 4: is making decisions every day about different things that affect 71 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 4: people's future, and that includes young people of course. 72 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 3: I mean it affects young people more than anyone else. 73 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 5: Especially when we're talking decades forward future policies, looking to 74 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 5: kind of the generations ahead, they're the ones that will 75 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 5: be the most impact exactly. 76 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 4: Another thing they pointed to was declining voter turnout as 77 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 4: a key concern. So in their policy paper they said, 78 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 4: declining turnout and lower voter registration numbers show that many 79 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 4: have lost confidence that they are being listened to. Now, 80 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 4: unlike Australia, voting in the UK isn't compulsory. 81 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 5: Okay, I was going to ask you yes. 82 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 4: So in Australia, whenever there's an election, we always have 83 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 4: this conversation about making sure that people are informed. But 84 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 4: overseas it's actually not as common for there to be 85 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 4: compulsory voting. Often it's voluntary, and so the conversation there 86 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 4: is how do we get more people to vote. At 87 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 4: the last general election in twenty twenty four, only about 88 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 4: sixty percent of eligible voters actually turned up. 89 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 3: To the polls. 90 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 5: That is so much lower than I thought it would 91 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 5: be For the UK. I think those are the kind 92 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 5: of numbers we expect out of the US, where voter 93 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 5: participation is famously lower, but sixty percent, it's very different 94 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 5: to the story here. 95 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, and that was the lowest turnout since two thousand 96 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 4: and one, and it was also about eight percent lower 97 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 4: than the previous election in twenty nineteen. 98 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 5: Very interesting to kind of analyze that pre and post 99 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 5: social media trend that there was low turnout in two 100 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 5: thousand and one. Then you kind of have this dawn 101 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 5: of the digital age and social media and all that 102 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 5: that does for mobilizing or disenfranchising people from voting, and 103 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,119 Speaker 5: then it reaches this head in twenty twenty four where 104 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 5: people just aren't turning up. 105 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, and so the government sees lowering the voting age 106 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 4: as a way to re engage people with the democratic 107 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 4: process and to boost participation. And there is this school 108 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 4: of thought that suggests that if people start voting at sixteen, 109 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 4: then they're more likely to continue voting throughout their lives, 110 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 4: which they see as a way to boost overall turnout. 111 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 4: So it's kind of a long term strategy here. 112 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 5: Interesting. I think when we hear the conversations about lowering 113 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 5: the voting age, especially here, in Australia, it's often centered 114 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 5: around policy and what that policy means for the future generations, 115 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 5: as we've touched on a little bit. But this angle 116 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 5: on voter turnout is really interesting. It's not really something 117 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 5: I had thought about, especially here with compulsory voting, kind 118 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 5: of what that might mean in a different country or 119 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 5: government or democracy. What has the reaction been though to 120 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 5: this announcement. I'm really fascinated because I know this is 121 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 5: a topic that divides people very strongly. 122 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, so the main opposition in the UK, the Conservative Party, 123 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 4: is strongly against the proposal. Paul Holmes, who is a 124 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 4: senior Conservative politician, he raised concerns in the comments about 125 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 4: the inconsistency of age limits. 126 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 3: Here's a little bit of what he said. 127 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 2: Young people are being abandoned in drows by the Labor Party. 128 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 2: So why does this government think a sixteen year old 129 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 2: can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery 130 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 2: ticket and alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war or 131 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 2: even stand in the elections they're voting in. Isn't the 132 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 2: government's position on the age of majority just hopelessly confused? 133 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 4: So there he's really talking about all of the different 134 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 4: things that sixteen year olds can't do like drink or ma, 135 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 4: and so he's therefore saying, if we don't trust them 136 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 4: to do that, then why would we trust them to vote? 137 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 4: What I found interesting about that is that it's actually 138 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 4: kind of similar to why the government did introduce it, although. 139 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 3: They flipped it. 140 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 4: They said that we do allow sixteen year olds to 141 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 4: leave school, we do allow them to work and to 142 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 4: pay taxes, so therefore, why wouldn't we allow them. 143 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 3: To also vote. 144 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 4: It's kind of this thing of like you're looking at 145 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 4: two sets of facts but taking very different angles from it. 146 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 5: It's kind of a spectrum in terms of what is 147 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 5: an adult what does adulthood look like in the UK? 148 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 5: And when you are sixteen you can do some things 149 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 5: that are pretty adult sounding on paper, but then there 150 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 5: are other things that are off limits to Youah. How 151 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 5: does all this compare to what's happening in Australia in 152 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 5: terms of the kind of current regulations and the conversation 153 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 5: that we've been having. 154 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, So in Australia, like I said before, the voting 155 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 4: age is eighteen and it has been that since nineteen 156 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 4: seventy three, saying that though there have been several attempts 157 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 4: over the years to change that. In twenty twenty three, 158 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 4: the then Green's MP Stephen Bates introduced a private member's 159 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 4: bill to allow sixteen and seventeen year olds to vote now. 160 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 4: His reasoning at the time, Bates argued that lowering the 161 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 4: voting age would give young people the opportunity to have 162 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 4: a real say over the politics and policies that will 163 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 4: impact them. 164 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 3: For the rest of their lives. 165 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 4: So exactly the reasoning that we were talking about before, 166 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,559 Speaker 4: which is why the UK government has introduced this bill. 167 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 3: However, the bill. 168 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,440 Speaker 4: That Stephen Bates introduced in twenty twenty three that did 169 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 4: not have the support of either the opposition or the 170 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 4: government at the time. 171 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, I remember that being kind of roundly shut down 172 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 5: by both major parties. But what was interesting about the 173 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 5: Green's proposal at the time was that it suggested allowing 174 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 5: sixteen and seventeen year olds the option to vote, but 175 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 5: not making it mandatory. 176 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 3: Which it is for the rest of Australia exactly, which 177 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 3: would make it different in that way, I suppose. 178 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 5: Yeah, Okay, So that was twenty twenty three, Billy, so 179 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 5: really not so long ago under an Albanesi government. What 180 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 5: was the reason that Labor gave for not supporting it. 181 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, so at the time, I spoke to the then 182 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 4: Youth Minister Anne Ali about why the government wasn't in 183 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 4: support of it, and she basically just said that she 184 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 4: didn't believe it was a priority for young people. 185 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 3: Here's a little bit of that interview. 186 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 4: Can you explain why the government is not in favor 187 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 4: of lowering the voting age to sixteen? 188 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: The first thing I'll say is that when I go 189 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: out and talk with young people, lowering the voting age 190 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 1: is not one of the top five issues that comes up. 191 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: I don't want young people to think that voting is 192 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,719 Speaker 1: the only agency that they have in making change. 193 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 4: So the Australian government's position was just essentially that young 194 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 4: people themselves weren't asking for this change, according to them. 195 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 5: Okay, so the kind of conversation ongoing here in Australia, 196 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 5: but we know this is happening in the U. Remind 197 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 5: me when this is actually coming into effect. 198 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 4: So they have just said that this will be in 199 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 4: place by the time there is the next election, which 200 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 4: will be in twenty twenty nine, so that gives them 201 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 4: a few years to get the legislation through Parliament and 202 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 4: to have it come into. 203 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 5: Effect really refresh my memory. I know that the Labor 204 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 5: victory at the last UK election was pretty historic, bit 205 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 5: of a landslide. Do they have the numbers then to 206 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 5: pass this legislation? 207 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 3: Is it a short thing? Yeah, I mean it's never 208 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 3: a short thing. 209 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,439 Speaker 4: But they do have the numbers in Parliament to get 210 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 4: this through, so by all accounts this should be getting 211 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:38,439 Speaker 4: through even though they don't. 212 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:39,719 Speaker 3: Have the support of the opposition. 213 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 5: Fascinating. It is such an interesting, evolving conversation. It will 214 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,079 Speaker 5: be really really interesting to see kind of how things 215 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 5: in the UK might shift the conversation for other parts 216 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 5: of the world, other parts of the Commonwealth. Really significant 217 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 5: and super interesting for young audiences. Will keep you updated 218 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 5: as we we learn more about this one. Thank you 219 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 5: so much Billy for explaining it to us. 220 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 3: Thank you. 221 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 5: That's all for today's deep dive. Thank you so much 222 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 5: for tuning in. We will be back a little later 223 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 5: on with your afternoon headlines, but until then, have a 224 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 5: great day. 225 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 226 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: bunjelung Kalkutin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily Oz acknowledges 227 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 228 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 229 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: Strait island and nations. 230 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 3: We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries, 231 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:36,559 Speaker 3: both past and present.