UNICEF Australia welcomes first jurisdiction to raise criminal age to 14
UNICEF Australia welcomes the Australian Capital Territory’s historic decision to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 years. This is a vital step toward ensuring that Australia’s laws reflect the rights and best interests of children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Globally, the median age of criminal responsibility is 14 years, placing Australia well behind international standards, with children as young as 10 being locked up across the country.
This reform brings the ACT into alignment with international human rights standards and the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which has consistently called on Australia to raise the age to at least 14. It also responds to the overwhelming evidence that criminalising children - particularly those as young as 10 - causes long-term harm and fails to address the underlying causes of offending.
We commend the ACT Government for its leadership and for listening to the voices of children, families, and First Nations communities. This announcement follows the powerful joint statement released last week by the First Nations Caucus of the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners and Guardians.
Their collective call to action - delivered during the Reintegration Puzzle Conference in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) - urges all governments to raise the age to 14, end harmful practices such as solitary confinement and the use of spit hoods, and invest in culturally safe, community-based supports for children and families.
UNICEF Australia supports these reforms which reflect the evidence that preventative and restorative justice are more effective at both reducing offending and keeping children and communities safe. We urge all Australian jurisdictions to follow the ACT’s lead.
Every child has the right to be protected, to be heard, and to grow up in an environment that nurtures their potential, one which works to avoid further entrenching them in the criminal justice system.
2 July 2025