Victoria to Raise Criminal Responsibility Age to 12 in Historic Reform

The Victorian government has introduced a new bill to the state parliament to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12. If passed, Victoria will become the first Australian state to enforce a higher age threshold for criminal offences. At present, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 10 for all states and territories except the Northern Territory, which raised it to 12 in August 2023. However, the Australian Capital Territory will soon follow the Northern Territory, having passed legislation to raise the age to 14 by 2025 with some exceptions. The new bill is the Victorian government’s attempt to reform the state’s youth justice system to improve community safety and reduce young people’s offending....