Age of innocence? Revisiting the age of criminal responsibility in Victoria

Kids in grade 5 can be charged, convicted and sentenced with crimes under Victorian law.

In Victoria, children may be held criminally responsible at the age of ten. In contrast, many other countries have set the minimum age at 14 years – the age recommended by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Earlier this year, 31 countries called on Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility. It has also been the subject of recent consideration by all Australian Attorneys-General and the Commonwealth Government. Nothing has happened.

What is the law that applies to very young offenders in Victoria? How does it work in practice? How ‘responsible’ can pre- and early teens be? And why do so many think the law needs urgent change?