Advocates ‘disappointed’ at NT major parties’ stance on raising the criminal age of responsibility

TERRITORY lawyers and activists have labelled the three major political parties as ‘disappointing’ after it was revealed none of them would commit to keeping children as young as 10 out of prisons

Neither the ALP or Territory Alliance has committed to raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10, while the CLP has rejected the idea completely. Picture: Thinkstock

• NT’s major political parties noncommittal on raising age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14

TERRITORY lawyers and activists have labelled the three major political parties as “disappointing” after it was revealed none of them would commit to keeping children as young as 10 out of prisons.

The Sunday Territorian    revealed on Sunday that neither the ALP or Territory Alliance would commit to raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10, while the CLP rejected the idea completely.

It comes as Australia’s state and federal Attorneys-General were due to meet today and discuss raising the age of criminal responsibility in response to a national campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.

Darwin-based activist group UP (Uprising of the People), who organised Darwin’s recent Black Lives Matter protest, said in a statement they were “disgusted” with the noncommittal responses of the three major parties.

“UP are disgusted and disappointed in our major three political parties in the Northern Territory who have not explicitly addressed raising the age in their political campaigns,” the statement said.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are disproportionately detrimentally affected by these laws. Our babies make up 100 per cent of the young people in Don Dale Youth Detention Centre.”

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Principal Legal Officer for the Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) David Woodroffe said the lack of action from NT politicians was “completely underwhelming”.

“The NT is in the best position to show that leadership … from evidence of the Royal Commission (into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory) and the leadership that’s been done by Aboriginal communities and youth services to help children.

“A failure to act is to condemn another generation of aboriginal children to Don Dale.”

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President of the Criminal Lawyers Association of the NT Marty Aust agreed, saying politicians should “stop using children as political footballs”.