Eve Lamb
Students at Castlemaine Secondary College have launched a new movement calling for optional voting to be legalised at age 16.
Launched at the college on Friday, the new ‘Vote 16’ youth movement calls for people aged between 16 and the current legal age of 18 to have the option of legally casting their vote in order to gain traction in Parliament – especially on climate.
“In Australia at 16 we can get behind the wheel of a car, have a job and pay taxes, so we think it’s only fair that we should also have the option of voting,” year 10 student Amarana Gersch said.
“Our aim is spreading awareness and we would like to see this spread nationally.”
The students have staunch support from the college staff community, including that of principal Justin Hird and assistant principal Martin Mielimaka.
“It’s to give them a voice on something that’s really important for the future. For all our futures,” the CSC principal told the Express during Friday’s launch.
The students hope the Vote 16 movement will now rapidly spread nation-wide.
If it does it won’t be the first time a political youth movement driven by powerful desire to achieve meaningful climate policy has fomented in the ‘Maine with several key youth leaders involved in the internationally famed School Strike for Climate movement based in the small regional Victorian town.
Another of the new Vote 16 founding members, year 10 student Alhucema Baena-Young, said they were specifically calling for optional – not compulsory – voting for those aged 16 to 18, to give engaged teens a more empowered voice on matters impacting them including the pressing issue of climate change.
“Countries that already have lowered the voting age to 16 include Scotland, Argentina, Austria and Greece,” Amarana said.
