Victoria Drops Plan to Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility to 14

The Victorian government has gone back on a pledge by former Premier Daniel Andrews to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, with his successor Jacinta Allan saying her decision is coming at a “different time, by a different government, with a different premier.” The original proposal was to raise the age from 10 to 12, and then to 14 by 2027, with exceptions for serious offences such as murder and terrorism. Andrews had hoped to achieve a national consensus but said his government wouldn’t hesitate to make the change alone. “Where [the age] is now is not right. It needs to change,” he said....