WEBVTT - MINI: Should 16 year olds be able to vote?

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<v Speaker 2>Laura, there's a huge conversation coming out of the UK

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<v Speaker 2>at the moment and it has come over here to

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<v Speaker 2>Australia because we often follow suit with what the UK does.

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<v Speaker 2>But basically the Prime Minister, Sir Kiirs Starmer, has said

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<v Speaker 2>that he's going to lower the voting age in the

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<v Speaker 2>UK for the next election.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you think he's popular with the young uins? Is

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<v Speaker 3>that why? Maybe?

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know, but from there are in the age

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<v Speaker 2>from eighteen to sixteen years old. Now the vote is

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<v Speaker 2>not going to be compulsory, but they're allowed to do

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<v Speaker 2>it now. This is kickstarted a bit of a divide

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<v Speaker 2>between young people and people, you know, in the older demographic.

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<v Speaker 2>Some people are saying, one hundred percent, if you're old

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<v Speaker 2>enough to work and you're old enough to pay taxes,

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<v Speaker 2>you're old enough to contribute to the way you see

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<v Speaker 2>your government. And I would want to agree with that,

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<v Speaker 2>But then there's another bunch of people saying, well, hang on, technically,

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<v Speaker 2>brains aren't even fully developed. Do they quite have the

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<v Speaker 2>life experience? Yet you're not able to buy a lottery ticket.

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<v Speaker 2>We're seeing you're not capable enough to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>drink alcohol, but you can vote for the government. So

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<v Speaker 2>there's I don't know, this is divide between two sides.

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<v Speaker 2>How do you feel about lowering the voting age to sixteen?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, firstly, is it not compulsory because it's like

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<v Speaker 1>just the sixteen to eighteen or is it just voting

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<v Speaker 1>in the UK is not compulsory.

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<v Speaker 2>Anyway, Voting in the UK isn't compulsory, gotcha. And I

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<v Speaker 2>guess the way I feel is I do think that

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<v Speaker 2>you should be able to vote at sixteen, and I

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<v Speaker 2>like the fact that it's not compulsory because we don't

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<v Speaker 2>have that choice.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, look, I'm not against it. I think it's truefold though,

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<v Speaker 1>right Like, if sixteen year olds are working, if they're

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<v Speaker 1>paying taxes, I mean, they're the ones who are going

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<v Speaker 1>to have to live in the in the world or

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<v Speaker 1>the country for a lot longer than the really old

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<v Speaker 1>people who are also voting, So I guess like they

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<v Speaker 1>should have a say in the government that is going

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<v Speaker 1>to be making decisions for their welfare.

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<v Speaker 3>The only thing is is that I also think that.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe politics should be more taught in school so that

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<v Speaker 1>kids have.

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<v Speaker 3>A better literacy for it.

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<v Speaker 1>Because the problem is is for a sixteen year old,

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<v Speaker 1>unless they are seeking out that information themselves, and unless

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<v Speaker 1>they're educating themselves on their government policies and politics and

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<v Speaker 1>everything else, which may not be happening at that age,

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<v Speaker 1>then I wonder like, well.

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<v Speaker 3>Are they making informed choices?

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<v Speaker 1>And I think it's probably a bit of a stretch

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<v Speaker 1>to be like, sixteen year olds don't have fully formed brains.

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<v Speaker 1>There's fully fledged adults who don't have fully formed brains either,

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<v Speaker 1>but they're still, you.

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<v Speaker 2>Know, at sixteen year olds whose brains are more formed

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<v Speaker 2>than yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>And so I think that that's an unfair stance.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think making sure that information is readily available

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<v Speaker 1>that you know, people who are sixteen have, and I

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<v Speaker 1>guess like, if it's an opt in situation, that they

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<v Speaker 1>can be really informed in the decisions that they're making.

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<v Speaker 3>I think that's so important. Though.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, there's a lot of videos going around online just

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<v Speaker 2>on Instagram reels that people have gone and just stopped

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<v Speaker 2>randoms on the street all ages, but there's a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of young kids that they stopped to ask them their

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<v Speaker 2>own opinions, and some of them said no, like, don't

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<v Speaker 2>give us that responsibility.

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<v Speaker 3>There's no way we're ready.

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<v Speaker 2>But then there was one that stands out for me.

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<v Speaker 3>But he just said, I absolutely we want to.

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<v Speaker 2>Be able to vote. I think we should be able

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<v Speaker 2>to vote because we are interested in contributing to our future.

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<v Speaker 2>And then he said, having said that, will we be

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<v Speaker 2>influenced by our parents? Absolutely, and that is a risk

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<v Speaker 2>you're going to take right, Like, and I even think

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<v Speaker 2>about us growing up. I used to say to my

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<v Speaker 2>parents when I was younger, who are you voting for?

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<v Speaker 2>And then I just go vote for them when I didn't.

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<v Speaker 3>Have the wealth of knowledge.

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<v Speaker 2>But he said, the only reason we've being influenced by

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<v Speaker 2>our parents is because we're not.

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<v Speaker 3>Taught enough at school.

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<v Speaker 2>So to come back into this full circle loop, the

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<v Speaker 2>thing is there is so much information online now accessible

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<v Speaker 2>to everyone that wasn't around when we were sixteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but I think on the flip side of this,

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<v Speaker 1>and I absolutely don't want to be age just with

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<v Speaker 1>this at all, because you know, I think you've worked

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<v Speaker 1>so hard to contribute to the country that you live in.

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<v Speaker 3>You have a right to.

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<v Speaker 1>Vote up until the age that you're not able to

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<v Speaker 1>vote anymore. But there are people in their eighties who

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<v Speaker 1>will still be voting and they're not going to be

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<v Speaker 1>here to see the world that they're contributing to or

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<v Speaker 1>the country that they're voting for. So is someone who

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<v Speaker 1>is like you know, rearing and getting near to the

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<v Speaker 1>end of their life. Is their opinion on the country

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<v Speaker 1>more important than someone who's going to spend their entire

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<v Speaker 1>life living in it, In which case I'm kind of like,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe it's maybe it is important to let people who

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<v Speaker 1>are slightly younger have more of an input. But I

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely come back to the education piece that I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>I just don't want anyone who's uneducated or doesn't is

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<v Speaker 1>just doing it for the sake of doing it. Voting

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe the whole non compulsory thing is quite an

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<v Speaker 1>important part of this. Whereas in Australia voting is compulsory.

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<v Speaker 1>It means people who are educated on it are voting,

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<v Speaker 1>people who are not educated at voting, people are doing

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<v Speaker 1>donkey votes, people are doing all kinds of things, whereas

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<v Speaker 1>over there, the people who are voting are people who

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<v Speaker 1>are considered, who at least have an opinion, I would.

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<v Speaker 2>Say, oh, who have made the choice to say yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I care enough to do research and physically get up

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<v Speaker 2>and go and vote. And I think that's the difference

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<v Speaker 2>if it is brought in in Australia. I would only

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<v Speaker 2>want it here if it wasn't compulsory from sixteen to eighteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, well, look, it's an interesting one. We'll

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<v Speaker 1>see if it actually plays out here.