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‘The ACT has looked at the evidence’
“What locking up kids does is it cruels their chances, it takes them away from positive influences.”
“They go to the university of crime, they get taught that they’re criminals.”
‘Programs need to run inside communities, not prisons’
Here’s where the rest of Australia stands when it comes to the age of criminal responsibility.
Victoria
Victoria passed the Youth Justice Bill in 2024, increasing its minimum age from 10 to 12, and plans to further review the possibility of raising it to 14 by 2027.
Tasmania
The Tasmanian government intends to elevate the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years and plans to raise the minimum age of detention to 16 years. They aim to create alternatives to detention for 14 and 15-year-olds, with full implementation expected by July 2029.
Northern Territory
NSW
Australia’s most-populous state has held the line at 10, despite medical and legal bodies urging change. A joint statement from Mental Health Carers NSW and BEING NSW this year renewed calls to match the ACT’s standard.
Queensland
Queensland’s Adult Crime, Adult Time laws, introduced at the end of 2024, kept the age at 10 and allow some serious offences by children to be dealt with in the adult system.
South Australia
Adelaide is consulting on whether to raise the age to 12 but has not drafted a bill.
