Northern Territory lowers age of criminal responsibility back to 10 years of age

One Australian jurisdiction has made a controversial move on youth crime, with critics arguing it is to the detriment of one group.

The Northern Territory has lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 years old to 10.

On Thursday, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) passed legislation to undo the lifted threshold that was bought in by the former Labor government – making it the first jurisdiction in Australia to do so.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government had a mandate to lower the age of criminal responsibility and told parliament the change would allow authorities to intervene earlier.

“By lowering the age of criminal responsibility, we can intervene earlier in a young person’s life and provide them the support they need to turn a new page and start a better journey of skills training, including in our promised two new youth boot camps in Darwin and Alice Springs,” she said.

Northern Territtory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said lowering the age of criminal responsibility would allow authorities to intervene earlier. Picture: NewsWire / David Beach

Ms Finocchiaro said the government had a dual “obligation” to protect the community against crime while also helping at-risk children who were turning to crime after being “let down in a number of ways over a long period of time”.

“No 10 or 11-year-old is born a criminal. There has been systemic failure in these young people’s lives, probably since before they were born,” she said.

However the opposition says the changes will result in poorer outcomes for Indigenous Territorians.

“We know – because all of the evidence tells us this – that the earlier a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more prolonged their involvement is likely to be,” Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said.

“We want to see children held accountable for bad behaviour but then supported to get on a better path.”

The Northern Territory parliament passed a raft of legislation changes this week aimed at tackling youth crime known.

The provisions, known as Declan’s Law, will make it harder for violent offenders to access bail by expanding the presumption against bail and also give police expanded powers to search and seize weapons from anyone over the age of 10.

The law was named after Declan Laverty, 20, who was fatally stabbed in what Acting Justice Graham Hilley described as a “random and violent attack” while working at Airport Tavern BWS in Darwin.

In June, Keith Kerinauia, also 20, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years.

Originally published as Northern Territory lowers age of criminal responsibility back to 10 years of age