|
We can't allow our young to be constitutional couch potatoes
Article by John Warhurst
Canberra Times
24 January 2005
Australians have demonstrated international citizenship in their response
to the Tsunami disaster. We've done so with very little flag-waving or
breast-beating, which is terrific. We have responded with generosity of
spirit though our government, through individual donations and through the
work of non-governmental organisations, the military, doctors and nurses,
and many other volunteers.
But what is our general record as citizens? Citizenship involves knowledge
of, interest in, and more than just sporadic involvement in public affairs.
Donating money to an organisation or cause, such as Tsunami relief, is the
most common form of participatory action. It is the easiest
form of participation for otherwise busy people, and is no less valuable
for that.
But before we make Australia Day too celebratory we should reflect upon our
performance so far as elections and voting participation is concerned.
A good place to start is with an examination of the participation by young
people in the electoral system. The Youth Electoral Study (YES), undertaken
by a group of three Australian academics from Sydney and Canberra, including
ANU sociologist Dr Larry Saha, has just produced its first report for the
Australian Electoral Commission. It is available on the AEC web site.
The general justification for the project is the widespread evidence that
young people are not connecting with mainstream politics. The particular
starting point for the project is the fact that at the time of the 2004
federal election last October only 82% of young Australians 17-25 years
of age were enrolled to vote compared to 95% of older Australians. Why are
so many young people disengaged from the political system?
The research involves a variety of approaches including in depth interviews
in 16 electorates around the country. This first report is based on a national
survey of Year 12 students undertaken in 2004. Dr Saha and his fellow researchers
found that only half of those young people would vote if it was not compulsory.
So let's not kid ourselves. Without compulsory voting Australians would be no
more committed to civic participation than the Americans or the British or
those in other countries where voting is not compulsory.
Among the reasons given by respondents for not voting is lack of knowledge.
Only half of young people feel that they know enough about the political
issues, the voting system and the political parties to vote. This is surprising
given the welcome growth of civics education in schools. And it may in part be
a cop out. Realistically many adults don't know much either but have no trouble
voting.
While 82% reckon that it is important to vote, almost two-thirds regard voting
as boring, 60% see it as a hassle and 45% go so far as to say that it is a waste
of a Saturday. It is not an event that is seen as a significant rite of passage
compared to all those other rites that occur about the same time in a young
person's life, such as legal drinking and getting a driver's licence.
Underlying these attitudes appears to be a pervasive lack of trust in the ability,
honesty and capacity of those in government. Only a quarter (less than a quarter
of girls) agree that "Most people in government are honest".
The Youth Electoral Study survey reinforces the need for greater and more effective
civics education. They show that the Senate Inquiry into an Australian republic is
undoubtedly on the right track. Its report, "The Road to a Republic" (August 2004),
stresses the need for greater
constitutional awareness and education. Participation in the process must be informed.
The Howard government should move immediately to implement the recommendation for a
new Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Constitutional Education and Awareness
with adequate resources to facilitate decent education campaigns. It is a natural
response to the YES report.
The YES project demonstrates the magnitude of the task. It shows the likely
effectiveness in 1999 of the cynical slogan "If you don't know, vote No." There
would be outrage if any group dared to campaign at an election on the slogan "If
you don't know, don't vote." The sensible slogan should be "If you don't know,
then make it your business to find out."
Republicans certainly should win debates such as the one that has been raging over
the Christmas holiday period about the position of Head of State. We are doing that
by emphasising the Queen's true position as Head of State, a point the Governor-General
himself has recently made too. As Peter Costello's staff member, David Alexander,
wrote last December, " The
Governor-General's comments identified the problem-our head of state is a
foreigner-and the republicans have a solution."
But republican constitutional reformers also have to put such debates in context.
If many young people consider voting to be boring it doesn't take much imagination
to come to the conclusion that they will also give a low priority to debates between
so-called experts about constitutional finer points. Their attention and passion
must be grabbed first. We don't want constitutional couch potatoes but active citizens.
Those Australians who are honoured by invitations and opportunities to speak on
Australia Day next Wednesday should consider it a day to urge civic education and
involvement, especially by young people. Such involvement should not just be the
involvement of donating money to worthy
causes, no matter how important that is, but it should also be the involvement that
stresses the responsibility of getting educated and becoming knowledgeable about the
central aspects of democratic citizenship. That might sound boring too but actually
there is nothing more desirable.
Professor Warhurst is Chair of the Australian Republican Movement chair@republic.org.au
|
