Bugsy: should be writing novels that was outstanding.
I am all for raising the driving age to 21.
I am all for raising the drinking age to 21.
I think voting at 18 can be borderline mentality, as far as politics goes.
These kids don't leave school till they are 18. Their best outside knowledge consists of how to get into nightclubs with a fraud ID.
I don't recon you would find a bunch of school kids standing around talking politics, let alone reading the stuff.

I believe all people should become eligible to vote once they have become, & only once they have become, fully self suficient, independent citizens.

While they are still dependent on parents, or government for all, most, or even some, of their income, I don't think they are in a position to make independently reasoned choices.

Students, in particular, are too easily influenced by their teachers/ professors, to be able to cut through the rubbish thrown at them.

No doubt if you are old enough to vote you are old enough to be named when you commit an adult crime. I don't have a lot of confidence in the younger voter. They did give us our present Government which really says it all.

They are not more mature and have less real life experience than before. They tend to be karaoke children if anything and still in nappies at 20. They cling to Mum and Dad till the very last minute. They drive like idiots and have no creativity or ability for rational thinking. Make the voting age 28.

Dear Hughie
If you wish to extend the franchise to sixteen year olds, OK. But how would you handle sixteen year olds being Members of Parliament?

Wasn't Magna Carta @ Runnymede largely about "no taxation without representation". Wasn't the Boston Tea Party about "no taxation without representation". Is there a half-way point? Continue with all Australian citizens who reach 18 years of age required to enrol and vote, but add 16-18 year olds who pay tax (perhaps a threshold level) may enrol and vote. Then we can look at a further step down the track. I am not sold on the obvious maturity of the 18+ year olds in comparison to the 16-18 years olds. I think the 16-18 year olds may show more maturity generally speaking.