Latest news: Criminal responsibility

In an Australian first, the ACT Legislative Assembly will raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 from mid-2025.

The Justice (Age of Criminal Responsibility) Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 will be debated today; the Canberra Liberals want to amend it.

Debate on raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the ACT has been adjourned to the next sitting.

The ACT could raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 – but children would still be held responsible for serious offences.

ACT Greens leader and ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury responds to Bill Stefaniak's column on raising the age of criminal responsibility (CW 25 November 2021, p.14), arguing that supporting marginalised kids and improving community safety is at the heart of the ACT's reforms.