Victoria to raise age of criminal responsibility to 12 with no exceptions

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says the state will become the first to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12, following the Northern Territory and the ACT. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Victoria is set to become the first state in Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12, although police will be given new powers to use “limited force” to compel 10- and 11-year-olds to accompany them to a police station.

The changes will form part of the government’s long-awaited youth justice bill, which will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday. The bill also includes measures that the premier, Jacinta Allan, said would crack down on “serious, high-risk and repeat” youth offending.