Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to all the young people who submitted speeches for Youth Raise Our Voice in Parliament. This is a speech from Ammar:

I envision a community where young people are not just heard but are empowered to make a real change—a place where our voices shape the future we will inherit. Lowering the voting age to 16 is a critical step towards this vision.

Today, young people face challenges that are deeply intertwined with the decisions made by those in power. Yet, we are often left out of the process. By allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, we can channel the energy and passion of youth into positive community change.

This engagement could lead to a decrease in youth crime as more young people feel that their voices matter and that they have a stake in their community's future.

When young people are given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully, they are more likely to invest in their own futures and the well-being of their communities.

The next parliament can achieve this by lowering the voting age, expanding civic education and creating more opportunities for young people to engage in decision-making processes.

By doing so, we can create a community that values, supports and benefits from the energy and ideas of its youth—a community where everyone, regardless of age, has the power to shape their future.

Thank you, Ammar.

Ten dollars for Vegemite. Hundreds of dollars more per week in rent. Soaring mortgages. If you're worried about the cost of living, you're not alone. Millions of people across the country are struggling. But at the same time the profits of the big corporations, like big supermarkets and the big banks, have increased, and that is no accident. I hear from parents who are worried that they or their kids or grandkids will never be able to buy a house, no matter how hard they work. This is more than just a cost-of-living crisis; it's becoming a full-blown economic crisis. It's happening while one in three big corporations pay no tax. When a nurse pays more tax than a multinational, something is wrong. But instead of trying to fix this mess and deliver real outcomes for people, Labor and the Liberals are performing confected fights in question time while quietly agreeing to the status quo of more supermarket price gouging, more unlimited rent rises and more corporate profiteering. No wonder everyone is getting sick of politics. They've lost sight of why they were elected in the first place—to deliver real outcomes that will make everyday people's lives better.

The Greens have already announced our plan to make price gouging illegal, fund a freeze and cap on rent increases and build more public housing. We announced our plan to ensure you can see your GP, psychologist, dentist or nurse for free with your Medicare card. No-one should be putting off essential health care because they can't afford it. And you can trust us to do things like this because we don't take political donations from the big corporations fuelling these crises.

This is just the start. We know these reforms won't happen overnight, but if we keep voting for the same two parties nothing will change. Change is possible. This election, you have to vote for it.

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