Victoria will become the first Australian state to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 as long-awaited legislation arrives. Premier Jacinta Allan and Youth Justice Minister Enver Erdogan announced the youth justice bill would be introduced to state parliament on Tuesday. The standalone bill lifts the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12.
The ACT passed legislation to raise the age to 14 by 2025 with some exceptions. In 2023, the Victorian government committed to lifting the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years, before raising it again to 14 by 2027 with some exceptions. Attorney-general Jaclyn Symes said the government would seek for the change to take effect in 2025 despite previously flagging a start date of late 2024.