NT first jurisdiction in Australia to lift age while Aboriginal advocates and human rights experts continue push for at least 14
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Aboriginal groups have given conditional support to the Northern Territory government’s decision to increase the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years old, but argue children are often still too young to be in detention.
The NT is the first jurisdiction in the country to raise the age of criminal responsibility. The move follows longstanding calls by Indigenous advocates, human rights experts and lawyers to raise the age to at least 14.