After hundreds of hours of testimony to the Yoorrook Justice Commission from experts, survivors and those with lived experience, Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, the state’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, and the police commissioner, Shane Patton, presented before the cameras on Tuesday to renege on the government’s commitment to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 14, despite years of lobbying from and dialogue with the First Nations community and a commitment from government to act.
Apart from being yet another broken promise from yet another government – common sense, let alone the weight of evidence, shows locking up children doesn’t work, hasn’t worked and won’t work.
