Victoria Drops Plan to Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility to 14

Police and community groups have responded differently to the move.

Five Victoria Police officers talk to a young woman in central Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 29, 2023. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

The Victorian government has gone back on a pledge by former Premier Daniel Andrews to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, with his successor Jacinta Allan saying her decision is coming at a “different time, by a different government, with a different premier.”

The original proposal was to raise the age from 10 to 12, and then to 14 by 2027, with exceptions for serious offences such as murder and terrorism.