Susannah Guthrie, St Catherine's School

We're not morons; governments should butt out of young people's lives

The government’s influence over young people in Australia, although restrictive in some areas, is necessary for the maintenance of safety and stability in our society.  These limitations ensure that the physical health, mental health and physical safety of every young Australian is protected. The importance of our wellbeing is often, in the eyes of the government, given precedence over every individual’s right to freedom of choice and action.

As young people navigating our way into adulthood, it can be very difficult to maintain personal health. Stress of exams, the lure of unhealthy food and decreasing time for exercise encourage us to neglect our bodies in favour of “more important” pursuits. The limits placed on smoking and drinking at a young age, are the government’s way of assisting us to maintain our health without having to even think about it. Every time a young person makes a conscious decision to obey the law and avoid smoking or drinking, they are making an unconscious decision to not allow damaging chemicals into their body. The legal drinking age in all states of Australia is 18; the age at which the government believes a young person is mentally equipped to handle the various negative effects alcohol can have upon their body. The legal age for buying cigarettes in Australia is also 18; however young people are able to smoke at the age of 16. Limits such as these are necessary if Australia wants to reach its smoking target for 2020, proposed in the federal government's new Preventative Health Taskforce. If we are aiming to decrease the percentage of adult smokers to a mere 9% ⁽¹⁾, then we must begin targeting the younger generations; as they are the future.

Young Australians may feel suppressed by our strict laws limiting drinking or smoking after comparing them to those of European countries like France, where children can begin drinking whenever their parents deem appropriate. However, Australia has been proved to be a pioneer of substance restrictions through recent amendments to other nation’s policies. In March this year, the French National Assembly voted to ban the sale of alcohol and tobacco to those under the age of 18. This decision arose from the growing health problems developing in the youth of French society, with 13% of 16 year olds admitting to regular alcohol use ⁽²⁾. It cannot be ignored that alcohol kills brain cells and places enormous pressure on the body of adolescents, whilst smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and damages the respiratory system. No matter how “un-moronic” youth in Australia believe they are; the limitations in place in relation to the consumption of harmful substances are necessary for the maintenance and protection of the health of Australia’s future.

Not only are preventative measures in place to protect the health of young people, but also our safety. In 2007, the Victorian government came under great criticism for placing a limit on the amount of passengers a P-plate driver under 21 can carry in their vehicles. These drivers are allowed no more than one peer passenger in their car for the first 12 months of their license. Despite the fury of young motorists everywhere; the government had good reason to implement these changes, with nearly two P-plate drivers losing their lives in car crashes on Victorian roads per week in 2006 ⁽³⁾. The argument is that road safety has nothing to do with “being a moron”; and that lives can be lost merely due to lack of experience or confidence on the road. For the Victorian government to “butt out” of this problem, they would have to be ignorant of their basic right, as a government, to protect the safety of their electors.  The structure of Australia’s political system is such that the elected government is given the right to act on behalf of the people for the greater good; regardless of personal preferences or skills. Curfews constraining adolescents under 16 from leaving their homes after 10pm, in cities like Perth, were also much debated. However, again, it is undeniable that night time is a period of increased danger due to decreased visibility, night-time parties involving alcohol and a decline in human presence in public areas. Upon introducing this curfew, the Premier of Western Australia, Geoff Gallop, fought off criticism with his statement “To do nothing would be, from our point of view, a dereliction of our duty. It's simply not acceptable to have youngsters on the street unsupervised.” ⁽⁴⁾

The mental health of young people in Australia is another concern the government attempts to grapple with when involving themselves in the lives of young Australians. In all states, the legal voting age is 18 and many believe this should be lowered. However, for a decision as important as that of the future of our country, we must ensure that the people making these decisions are fully-equipped to handle them. Adolescents all mature at different rates, and lowering the voting age, whilst catering to teenagers with a high level of intelligence and political perception, could also allow those who are unknowledgeable and uncaring to become involved in such an important process.

For young people to believe that the government should be “butting out” of their lives; proves just how much government influence is actually needed. If adolescents are “moronic” enough to believe that government influence is having a negative effect on their quality of life, then they are simply not mentally or physically equipped to make the kind of decisions the government already makes for them, through the application of laws and restrictions. At such a fragile, changeable period in life, the choices of an adolescent could easily affect the rest of their lives. As elected representatives of the people, it is the government’s duty to ensure that no bad decision affects the future mental health, physical health, or safety of a young Australian.

Footnotes:

⁽¹⁾The Age newspaper article-Australia could miss 2020 smoking target by Danny Rose 5^th February 2009

⁽²⁾www.cbsnews.com article-France puts a cork in teen drinking 11^th March 2009

⁽³⁾ Daily Telegraph article-Our campaign to stop carnage 10^th July 2008

⁽⁴⁾ABC 7.30 Report 30^th June 2003

⁽⁵⁾www.theage.com.au article “Yes”-minister  by Jason Hill 7^th November 2008