Tuesday, 28 November 2023

Adjournment

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (18:06): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Age of criminal responsibility

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (18:06): (617) My adjournment this evening is to the Attorney-General. A 10-year-old child cannot get a job or join social media, but in Victoria kids as young as 10 can be locked away in prison. We know that these laws are harming children at a critical time in their lives. When children are forced through a criminal legal process at such a formative time in their development, they can suffer lifelong harm to their health, wellbeing and future. Children do their best when they are supported, nurtured and loved, not locked up. There is extensive research showing that prison does not rehabilitate children and the response to youth crime should be more and better prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation, not prison.

We are in a week of action during which the community is demanding politicians raise the age of criminal responsibility across the country, and the Greens join the call from First Nations, legal and human rights experts for the Victorian government to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 in alignment with international human rights standards. At their upcoming meeting all the Australian federal, state and territory attorneys-general will be coming together to discuss their plans to address the minimum age of criminal responsibility. Children as young as 10 sit alone in cages across the country while these politicians come together and decide their fate. Attorney, my action is for you to advocate to all attorneys-general at the COAG meeting that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised to 14 at a minimum, without exception, because kids do not belong behind bars.