VOTING AGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 249, 2 August 1946, Page 3

VOTING AGE

REDUCTION TO 18 YEARS PROPOSAL IN AUSTRALIA ((Special from C. R. Mentiplay, Representative of N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, August 1. The question when a person is mature enough to be accorded a voice in the Government of his, own country will be thoroughly debated both officially and unofficially before the Government proposal to lower the voting age in Federal and State elections to 18 years assumes a more concrete form.

At present, the Federal Government contemplates submitting the proposal to the Premiers’ Conference in Canberra on August 20. As this conference will be held at the height of the Federal election campaign, with voting day five weeks off and the Commonwealth Parliament dissolved, there is no chance 1 of minors having their say at ballot boxes this year. It has long been held in certain quarters* that 21 is open to question as the age at which men and women are assumed to become adult. The war brought a. sudden and emotional realisation of that fact to the Australian people. This reaction was that, if a man was old enough to die for his country, he was also old enough to determine who should govern. Accordingly, a law was passed giving the vote to servicemen of 18. This still exists as a wobbly line drawn across the voting strength of the nation fqr, of course, the 18-year-old who for physical or other reasons' was debarred from serving is still denied the vote.

The Government realises that the time for rationalisation is at hand andis prepared to remove all anomaliesby lowering the voting age.

Question of Intelligence

This proposal will be opposed on the grounds probably the ipost important of which is the danger of depressing the level of intelligence expressed in an election. It is already being claimed that the political parties are interested in the move chiefly because it would expose more people to emotional appeals and gaudy promises. Without considering the holders of this intolerant view, we can discover the variety of opinions on the subject. Many will be with s Professor F. A. Bland, of the faculty of Public Administration at Sydney University, who says that persons of 18 are not sufficiently mature to express judgment in an election and that the contention that physical fitness for service iiiiplies fitness to vote is fallacious.

There will be strong backing for the opinion of Mr A. E. Heath, president of the New South Wales Chamber of Commerce, who says that, in the absence of a series of tests which would be difficult to apply, 21 years is the- ideal age. The State president of the Returned Servicemen’s League, Mr Ken Bolton, adopts the curious attitude that, whereas minors who have been discharged from the services should retain the.right to vote, the admission of other minors who have not seen service should be “very carefully considered.”

A constructive suggestion is offered by Mr G. M. Dun,can, secretary of the University Students’ Council, who believes that an elementary test in aptitude should be imposed before anyone of whatever age is granted the right to vote. Whatever the decision, it is plain that opinions on the question range from that of people who consider that fitness for work means fitness for voting to those who believe, with Bernard Shaw, that we do not begin to become politically mature till we reach the age of 70.