ACT Greens push to give non-citizens and 16-year-olds the vote
ACT Greens will introduce a bill allowing some non-citizens and people aged 16 and over to vote in territory elections.
The ACT Greens are reviving a 30-year push to lower the voting age. The Greens now also seek to extend voting to some non-citizen residents.
Deputy leader Andrew Braddock said people who contribute through taxes, business ownership, or work in the health and aged-care systems deserve a say. The Greens point to precedent in New Zealand, where some non-citizens can vote nationally.
Scotland allows 16-year-olds and qualifying foreigners to vote. Non-citizens can already vote in City of Sydney and Melbourne City Council elections.
Labor and the Liberals voted down a Greens bill to lower the voting age to 16 in 2023. They called it a threat to compulsory voting principles.
The new bill would effectively introduce different voting rules for first-time voters.
- 30
- Years pushing voting age lower
- 16
- Proposed minimum voting age
- 2021
- Greens bill rejected
- Andrew Braddock, ACT Greens deputy leader
- Proposing the bill
Why it mattersVoting rights shape who holds power; expanding or restricting the franchise is a core democratic choice.
AustraliaACT residents only; would change who can vote in territory elections if the bill passes.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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