This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Government & democracy
Australians aged 16 and 17 would be able to vote in federal elections and referendums, bringing younger people into national voting while compulsory votingThe rule that eligible Australians must vote in federal elections and referendums unless they have a valid excuse. would still apply to them.
Federal law left 16 and 17 year olds unable to vote and could stop eligible people voting if they were missing from the rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily. or listed at the wrong address. This bill lowers the voting age to 16, lets 14 year olds enrol earlier, and allows eligible people to update enrolment at voting centres and cast a provisional voteA vote that is set aside for checking before it is counted, used here when someone is eligible but not fully enrolled on the day..
Federal elections and referendums were limited to people aged 18 and over, with only 16 and 17 year olds able to enrol in advance, and the idea of lowering the voting age had surfaced in national politics before the Greens revived it in 2023. The bill responded by proposing votes for 16 and 17 year olds, enrolment from age 14 and election-day enrolment with provisional voting for eligible people missing from the rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily., but it did not advance and was removed from the Notice PaperThe parliamentary agenda listing bills and other business; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being actively considered. later that year.
The main objection is that the case against lowering the federal voting age to 16 was not clearly developed in the recorded debate, so any criticism appears limited rather than broad or settled. The material here shows supportive speeches and no party represented in the debate opposing the bill, with no significant public case against it recorded so far.
Stephen Bates MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Greens.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
183 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Australians aged 16 and 17 would be able to vote in federal elections and referendums, bringing younger people into national voting while compulsory votingThe rule that eligible Australians must vote in federal elections and referendums unless they have a valid excuse. would still apply to them.
Teenagers would be able to get onto the electoral rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily. earlier, because the enrolment age would drop from 16 to 14.
People who are eligible to vote but are missing from the electoral rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily., or listed at the wrong address, would be able to enrol or update their address at voting centres and cast a provisional voteA vote that is set aside for checking before it is counted, used here when someone is eligible but not fully enrolled on the day. then.
A provisional voteA vote that is set aside for checking before it is counted, used here when someone is eligible but not fully enrolled on the day. from an eligible person who is not yet enrolled would also count as their enrolment application, reducing the risk of missing out because they were not already on the rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily..
The Australian Electoral CommissionerThe senior official who runs parts of the federal voting system and would have to add 16 and 17 year olds to the referendum voter list. would have to include 16 and 17 year olds on the official list of voters used for referendums.
The Bill has the effect of lowering the minimum age of a voter in Australian federal elections and referenda from 18 years to 16 years of age, while maintaining the compulsory voting system for voters of all ages. The Bill also includes being 16 or 17 years of age as a valid reason allowing the Deputy Returning Officer to waive fines for failing to vote. This ensures that while expected and required to vote, young people will not risk being forced to navigate the court system or pay a fine for failing to vote.Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) explanatory memorandum
Items 21-25 and 29-30 serve to lower the enrolment age from 16 to 14, by omitting “16” and substituting “14” in paragraph 108(a), subsection 120(2) (table item 4), paragraphs 121(1)(c), 208(2)(b) and 221(3)(a), section 342 and subsection 343(1).Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) explanatory memorandum
The Bill also provides that Australians who are eligible to vote but who are not yet on the electoral roll or are not enrolled at their correct address, can enrol to vote or update their address at a polling centre on election day, or at an early voting centre, and will be deemed to be enrolled at that address and eligible to cast a provisional vote at that time.Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) explanatory memorandum
Item 14 adds subsection (6) at the end of section 98, which provides that a provisional vote by a person who is entitled to enrolment, but is not currently enrolled, shall qualify as a claim to enrolment.Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) explanatory memorandum
The Bill ensures that the Electoral Commissioner includes 16 and 17 year olds in the certified list of voters.Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) explanatory memorandum
Context
Federal elections and referendums were limited to people aged 18 and over, with only 16 and 17 year olds able to enrol in advance, and the idea of lowering the voting age had surfaced in national politics before the Greens revived it in 2023. The bill responded by proposing votes for 16 and 17 year olds, enrolment from age 14 and election-day enrolment with provisional voting for eligible people missing from the rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily., but it did not advance and was removed from the Notice PaperThe parliamentary agenda listing bills and other business; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being actively considered. later that year.
Labor floats lowering the federal voting age to 16
The Australian Financial Review reported that Labor was considering votes at 16, showing the issue had already entered mainstream federal politics years before this bill.
Australian Financial Review ↗Greens introduce a bill to let 16 and 17 year olds vote
Stephen Bates introduced the bill, saying young people were already politically engaged on issues such as climate change, health care, housing affordability and racial justice but still lacked a federal vote.
Hansard ↗Bill proposes earlier enrolment and election-day enrolment
Its explanatory memorandumThe document that explains what the bill changes and why it was introduced. set out a wider package that would lower enrolment to age 14 and let eligible people who were not properly on the rollThe official list of people allowed to vote; this bill would let eligible people fix missing or wrong enrolment details more easily. update their details at a voting centre and cast a provisional voteA vote that is set aside for checking before it is counted, used here when someone is eligible but not fully enrolled on the day..
Explanatory memorandum ↗Bill is removed from the Notice PaperThe parliamentary agenda listing bills and other business; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being actively considered.
The parliamentary record shows the bill was removed from the Notice PaperThe parliamentary agenda listing bills and other business; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being actively considered. under standing order 42, leaving the proposed voting and enrolment changes unpassed.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main objection is that the case against lowering the federal voting age to 16 was not clearly developed in the recorded debate, so any criticism appears limited rather than broad or settled. The material here shows supportive speeches and no party represented in the debate opposing the bill, with no significant public case against it recorded so far.
Criticism in the available record was limited and mostly undeveloped.
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Stephen Bates supports the bill to lower the voting age to 16, arguing that young people should have a real say over decisions that will shape their lives and that earlier voting would strengthen democratic participation.
Read in Hansard ↗Jordon Steele-John supports the bill and says Australia should lower the voting age to 16 so young people have a voice in decisions that affect them.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 2 support
“We can do that by lowering the voting age to 16 in Australia. This bill would allow us to change the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to lower the minimum age of a voter in Australian federal elections and referenda from 18 to 16 years of age while maintaining the compulsory voting requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill also adds being 16 or 17 years of age as a valid reason for failing to vote, which allows the Deputy Returning Officer to waive their fine for not voting.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Lowering the voting age to 16 would give young people the opportunity to have a real say over the politics and policies that will impact them for the rest of their lives. It would force elected representatives to be accountable to the young people they represent and would give young people a say in our democracy—a say they have clearly demonstrated that they deserve.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
Removed from the Notice PaperThe parliamentary agenda listing bills and other business; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being actively considered. in accordance with (SO 42)
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
