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.
Attorney-General Rattenbury confirmed that it was the government’s intention to raise the age to fourteen. This is a significant point given that other jurisdictions are actively considering only raising the age to twelve.
The CIE team reiterated Amnesty International Australia’s position that the government should deliver this important reform by the end of 2021.
Attorney-General Rattenbury is open to continuing to work with Amnesty International Australia on the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and the CIE team look foward to doing so.
