NT Just Became The First Jurisdiction To Raise The Age Of Criminal Responsibility From 10 To 12

The Northern Territory has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to legally declare 10-year-olds cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions, after a years-long #raisetheage campaign. The NT government passed a bill to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 on Tuesday. The legislation also included a provision that children aged 12 or 13 could only be considered criminally responsible for an offence “if the child knows that [their] conduct is wrong”.

Attorney-General Chansey Paech said the changes would help break the cycle of youth re-offending in the NT.

“The revolving door to our detention centres stops here, the cycle of youth crime stops here,” he said in parliament.