Should Australia lower the voting age to 16 like the UK? We asked 5 experts
The UK wants to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the next general election in 2029. 5 experts give their verdicts on if Australia should do the same.
Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University, Blair Williams, Lecturer in Australian Politics, Monash University, Faith Gordon, Associate Professor in Law, Australian Nation
24 July 2025
The government in the UK is introducing legislation into parliament to lower the voting age to 16.
If passed, the new age rules will be in place for the next general election, expected around 2029.
Should Australia follow suit? We asked five experts.
Pandanus Petter's employment is funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant.
Faith Gordon receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Jill Sheppard receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Blair Williams and Intifar Chowdhury do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
