Responding to new data from the Northern Territory government showing a decline in the number of children in Northern Territory youth prisons, Amnesty International Australia Indigenous Rights Manager Tammy Solonec said: “The trend towards fewer kids being locked up in the Territory is welcome, but there are still 363 children in prison, which is 363 […]
Australia has been urged by a committee of international experts to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years of age.
Aboriginal and human rights organisations today welcomed the Australian Medical Association’s call for all states and territories to raise the age when children can be held criminally responsible to at least 14 years. All Australian states and territories currently have laws that allow children as young as ten years to be charged, brought before the […]
During 2018 a class of animation students from RMIT University in Melbourne put their minds together to visually communicate why Australia must change its laws so that children younger than 14 are no longer locked up. Top submissions 1. Rowena Lloyd, Akmal Azman, Fanny Yifan Shi and Will Thomasz: © Private 2. Jasmine Elrick: © […]
A broad cross-section of medical, children’s welfare, criminology, legal, Indigenous and human rights experts from around Australia have united with one voice, calling on Queensland’s Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer to raise the minimum age that Queensland locks up children, from 10 to 14. Members of all Queensland political parties were […]
Amnesty International welcomes the recommendation put forward from a review of Queensland’s youth justice system that the focus must be on prevention and diversion programs, but calls on the QLD government to recognise and address the overrepresentation of Indigenous kids in the system and raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14. The review was […]
Amnesty International Australia welcomes the Tasmanian government’s confirmation the state will raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years of age without exception in their Youth Justice Blueprint. This represents significant progress for child rights in Australia. The Tasmanian government today confirmed the decision in its response to the Commission of Inquiry […]
The campaign to raise the age across Australia is gaining momentum, but what does this mean for human rights and Indigenous rights?
After the 2020 Australian Capital Territory election, Shane Rattenbury MLA was appointed Attorney-General. Prior to this, Rattenbury had led the push for the government to commit to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility. The Amnesty International Australia Community is Everything (CIE) team met with Attorney-General Rattenbury to discuss the progress of raising the age. […]
The ACT is the first jurisdiction in Australia to make a commitment to bring its laws in line with UN standards. Now it’s time for the rest of the country to follow this leadership. The longer jurisdictions wait, the longer little kids are exposed to the harmful conditions of prison. If the government can form […]
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