16 Year olds to vote?

This is a problem of the system not the parties. There is no prize for second place. The other thing, everyone has a different definition of "greater good". You think Gina Reinhart's is the same as a cleaners?

 

Haha, no certainly not.

There's obviously no ideal solution, but it is frustrating to see politicians waste so much time, energy and money on trivial things. Constant nit picking to try undermine the other side.

Abbot was a huge disappointment, he had so many opportunities to show good leadership but squandered them, both when in opposition and as PM. In opposition Abbot actually could have created opportunities to lead whilst in second place but instead took the path of constantly undermining the leadership.

Leadership isn't about constantly attacking the other side, sometimes it's about working with the other side to get the best result possible.

 

True.

The schools are partly to blame as well, imo.

My son is 14, and has no political interest or real knowledge of it at all, yet he and his group of mates amazingly are all Tony Abbot haters!!

Where did they get it from? Certainly not from me - the other boys might have got it from their parents (the overwhelming demographic of our region is lower socioeconomic and blue collar who traditionally vote Labor)...

But I strongly suspect their teachers - who - as a group - are largely socialist thinking and therefore more likely to vote Labor and Greens.

It is a tough job to tell these kids to be objective and not simply accept everything they hear as gospel...to make their own mind up about Politics (and most things).

 

suits me!!

 

Of course they poll well with kids. Their leader works in a chocolate factory!

 

They should change it to not being compulsory.
Then if more people opt out, they are in the majority and get to decide what happens.

 

Always vote for the turd sandwich - then you won't be surprised to find out they're full of ****.

 

I would suggest that apathetic voters not voting is actually a good thing.

Forcing people to "have a say" when they don't want to/care to, means that their vote isn't worth the paper they write it on. Bring on voluntary voting.

 

Yeah, and then if the majority don't vote, hand the keys over to them to choose how things are done.

 

When I was sixteen most people had already had a couple of kids and we had to walk bare foot through the snow for 20 miles to smoke, ops I mean vote.

 

@Bayview and co.... Here's a laugh!

Labor have now moved to their next hilarious political strategy! Haha "The Labor Party has approached retired footballer Adam Goodes about the prospect of running as a candidate at the next federal election"

Adam Goodes approached to run as Labor candidate | smh.com.au

 

That's been on the cards for a while now,i think he would do well someone who in his eyes suffered injustice then links up with the Labor party just for a pure sense of duty..

 

Labor are, of course; the champions of the Indigenous movement - which is honorable - so they will naturally applaude a move such as this..

I think what Adam Goodes has done as a footballer is terrific, but I think his actions as an Indigenous person in the efforts of furthering their race's cause have been destructive.

They need folks who are going to be inclusive-minded - not divisive - so that they can lift their culture and communities out if this "victim" and oppressed mindset.

There is loads and loads of Gubb and Community assistance and support out there for the Aboriginal communities now; time to step up, be proud, be dignified and move on.

Also; to have thoughts of identifying different cultures and races in our Constitution is very dangerous IMO - it is divisive - not inclusive of all.

 

Raise it!

And raise the drinking age to 21 while they're at it.

And raise the age to join the army to 21 too.

18 year olds haven't got a clue. I'm not saying that all 21 year olds have their lives in perfect order, but those extra three years make a HUGE difference for most people.

16 year old kids voting... what a joke.

 

I am sure there are some very competent 18 year olds around but speaking for myself, at 18 I was very inexperienced and naive but a complete know-it-all.

 

There definitely are. There are some very competent 16 year olds too.

But generally speaking, they are too young to vote in my opinion.

It's one of the few things the yanks have done right, making the voting and drinking age 21.

 

Voting age has been 18 in the United States for decades.

The drinking age is flouted to the point of idiocy that they still continue having it above 21 to begin with.

I think there's a lot of logic in having the legal definition of an adult being 18, with all rights and responsibilities triggering at this age.