July 23, 2025 • 4 mins
The UK is expected to change the law to allow 16 year olds to vote in the next general election. Britt & Laura discuss whether we should follow suit in Australia.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hihart podcasts, hearm More Kiss podcast playlist and listen live
on the free iHeart app.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Laura, there's a huge conversation coming out of the UK
at the moment and it has come over here to
Australia because we often follow suit with what the UK does.
But basically the Prime Minister, Sir Kiirs Starmer, has said
that he's going to lower the voting age in the
UK for the next election.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Do you think he's popular with the young uins? Is
that why? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I don't know, but from there are in the age
from eighteen to sixteen years old. Now the vote is
not going to be compulsory, but they're allowed to do
it now. This is kickstarted a bit of a divide
between young people and people, you know, in the older demographic.
Some people are saying, one hundred percent, if you're old
enough to work and you're old enough to pay taxes,
(00:56):
you're old enough to contribute to the way you see
your government. And I would want to agree with that,
But then there's another bunch of people saying, well, hang on, technically,
brains aren't even fully developed. Do they quite have the
life experience? Yet you're not able to buy a lottery ticket.
We're seeing you're not capable enough to be able to
drink alcohol, but you can vote for the government. So
(01:17):
there's I don't know, this is divide between two sides.
How do you feel about lowering the voting age to sixteen?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I mean, firstly, is it not compulsory because it's like
just the sixteen to eighteen or is it just voting
in the UK is not compulsory.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Anyway, Voting in the UK isn't compulsory, gotcha. And I
guess the way I feel is I do think that
you should be able to vote at sixteen, and I
like the fact that it's not compulsory because we don't
have that choice.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, look, I'm not against it. I think it's truefold though,
right Like, if sixteen year olds are working, if they're
paying taxes, I mean, they're the ones who are going
to have to live in the in the world or
the country for a lot longer than the really old
people who are also voting, So I guess like they
should have a say in the government that is going
to be making decisions for their welfare.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
The only thing is is that I also think that.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Maybe politics should be more taught in school so that
kids have.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
A better literacy for it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Because the problem is is for a sixteen year old,
unless they are seeking out that information themselves, and unless
they're educating themselves on their government policies and politics and
everything else, which may not be happening at that age,
then I wonder like, well.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Are they making informed choices?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
And I think it's probably a bit of a stretch
to be like, sixteen year olds don't have fully formed brains.
There's fully fledged adults who don't have fully formed brains either,
but they're still, you.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Know, at sixteen year olds whose brains are more formed
than yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And so I think that that's an unfair stance.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
But I think making sure that information is readily available
that you know, people who are sixteen have, and I
guess like, if it's an opt in situation, that they
can be really informed in the decisions that they're making.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I think that's so important. Though.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, there's a lot of videos going around online just
on Instagram reels that people have gone and just stopped
randoms on the street all ages, but there's a lot
of young kids that they stopped to ask them their
own opinions, and some of them said no, like, don't
give us that responsibility.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
There's no way we're ready.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But then there was one that stands out for me.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But he just said, I absolutely we want to.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Be able to vote. I think we should be able
to vote because we are interested in contributing to our future.
And then he said, having said that, will we be
influenced by our parents? Absolutely, and that is a risk
you're going to take right, Like, and I even think
about us growing up. I used to say to my
parents when I was younger, who are you voting for?
And then I just go vote for them when I didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Have the wealth of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
But he said, the only reason we've being influenced by
our parents is because we're not.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Taught enough at school.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So to come back into this full circle loop, the
thing is there is so much information online now accessible
to everyone that wasn't around when we were sixteen.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, but I think on the flip side of this,
and I absolutely don't want to be age just with
this at all, because you know, I think you've worked
so hard to contribute to the country that you live in.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
You have a right to.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Vote up until the age that you're not able to
vote anymore. But there are people in their eighties who
will still be voting and they're not going to be
here to see the world that they're contributing to or
the country that they're voting for. So is someone who
is like you know, rearing and getting near to the
end of their life. Is their opinion on the country
more important than someone who's going to spend their entire
(04:15):
life living in it, In which case I'm kind of like,
maybe it's maybe it is important to let people who
are slightly younger have more of an input. But I
absolutely come back to the education piece that I'm like,
I just don't want anyone who's uneducated or doesn't is
just doing it for the sake of doing it. Voting
and maybe the whole non compulsory thing is quite an
important part of this. Whereas in Australia voting is compulsory.
(04:37):
It means people who are educated on it are voting,
people who are not educated at voting, people are doing
donkey votes, people are doing all kinds of things, whereas
over there, the people who are voting are people who
are considered, who at least have an opinion, I would.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Say, oh, who have made the choice to say yeah,
I care enough to do research and physically get up
and go and vote. And I think that's the difference
if it is brought in in Australia. I would only
want it here if it wasn't compulsory from sixteen to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah, I mean, well, look, it's an interesting one. We'll
see if it actually plays out here.
Hihart podcasts, hearm More Kiss podcast playlist and listen live
on the free iHeart app.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Laura, there's a huge conversation coming out of the UK
at the moment and it has come over here to
Australia because we often follow suit with what the UK does.
But basically the Prime Minister, Sir Kiirs Starmer, has said
that he's going to lower the voting age in the
UK for the next election.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Do you think he's popular with the young uins? Is
that why? Maybe?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I don't know, but from there are in the age
from eighteen to sixteen years old. Now the vote is
not going to be compulsory, but they're allowed to do
it now. This is kickstarted a bit of a divide
between young people and people, you know, in the older demographic.
Some people are saying, one hundred percent, if you're old
enough to work and you're old enough to pay taxes,
(00:56):
you're old enough to contribute to the way you see
your government. And I would want to agree with that,
But then there's another bunch of people saying, well, hang on, technically,
brains aren't even fully developed. Do they quite have the
life experience? Yet you're not able to buy a lottery ticket.
We're seeing you're not capable enough to be able to
drink alcohol, but you can vote for the government. So
(01:17):
there's I don't know, this is divide between two sides.
How do you feel about lowering the voting age to sixteen?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I mean, firstly, is it not compulsory because it's like
just the sixteen to eighteen or is it just voting
in the UK is not compulsory.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Anyway, Voting in the UK isn't compulsory, gotcha. And I
guess the way I feel is I do think that
you should be able to vote at sixteen, and I
like the fact that it's not compulsory because we don't
have that choice.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, look, I'm not against it. I think it's truefold though,
right Like, if sixteen year olds are working, if they're
paying taxes, I mean, they're the ones who are going
to have to live in the in the world or
the country for a lot longer than the really old
people who are also voting, So I guess like they
should have a say in the government that is going
to be making decisions for their welfare.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
The only thing is is that I also think that.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Maybe politics should be more taught in school so that
kids have.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
A better literacy for it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Because the problem is is for a sixteen year old,
unless they are seeking out that information themselves, and unless
they're educating themselves on their government policies and politics and
everything else, which may not be happening at that age,
then I wonder like, well.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Are they making informed choices?
Speaker 1 (02:23):
And I think it's probably a bit of a stretch
to be like, sixteen year olds don't have fully formed brains.
There's fully fledged adults who don't have fully formed brains either,
but they're still, you.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Know, at sixteen year olds whose brains are more formed
than yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And so I think that that's an unfair stance.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
But I think making sure that information is readily available
that you know, people who are sixteen have, and I
guess like, if it's an opt in situation, that they
can be really informed in the decisions that they're making.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I think that's so important. Though.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, there's a lot of videos going around online just
on Instagram reels that people have gone and just stopped
randoms on the street all ages, but there's a lot
of young kids that they stopped to ask them their
own opinions, and some of them said no, like, don't
give us that responsibility.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
There's no way we're ready.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But then there was one that stands out for me.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But he just said, I absolutely we want to.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Be able to vote. I think we should be able
to vote because we are interested in contributing to our future.
And then he said, having said that, will we be
influenced by our parents? Absolutely, and that is a risk
you're going to take right, Like, and I even think
about us growing up. I used to say to my
parents when I was younger, who are you voting for?
And then I just go vote for them when I didn't.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Have the wealth of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
But he said, the only reason we've being influenced by
our parents is because we're not.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Taught enough at school.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
So to come back into this full circle loop, the
thing is there is so much information online now accessible
to everyone that wasn't around when we were sixteen.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, but I think on the flip side of this,
and I absolutely don't want to be age just with
this at all, because you know, I think you've worked
so hard to contribute to the country that you live in.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
You have a right to.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Vote up until the age that you're not able to
vote anymore. But there are people in their eighties who
will still be voting and they're not going to be
here to see the world that they're contributing to or
the country that they're voting for. So is someone who
is like you know, rearing and getting near to the
end of their life. Is their opinion on the country
more important than someone who's going to spend their entire
(04:15):
life living in it, In which case I'm kind of like,
maybe it's maybe it is important to let people who
are slightly younger have more of an input. But I
absolutely come back to the education piece that I'm like,
I just don't want anyone who's uneducated or doesn't is
just doing it for the sake of doing it. Voting
and maybe the whole non compulsory thing is quite an
important part of this. Whereas in Australia voting is compulsory.
(04:37):
It means people who are educated on it are voting,
people who are not educated at voting, people are doing
donkey votes, people are doing all kinds of things, whereas
over there, the people who are voting are people who
are considered, who at least have an opinion, I would.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Say, oh, who have made the choice to say yeah,
I care enough to do research and physically get up
and go and vote. And I think that's the difference
if it is brought in in Australia. I would only
want it here if it wasn't compulsory from sixteen to eighteen.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah, I mean, well, look, it's an interesting one. We'll
see if it actually plays out here.
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