Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has proposed measures to try children as adults for violent crimes.
Serious alleged offenders aged 14 and above would be tried in adult courts, allowing for harsher and longer sentences, including life in prison.
Similar measures were introduced in Queensland in late 2024, and now cover 33 “serious offences”.
Youth community legal centre Youthlaw said the changes are a “step backwards”.
Background
In Victoria, the age of criminal responsibility is 12.
This is the age at which a child can be charged with, or prosecuted for, an alleged crime.
Those aged 12 to 17 at the time of their alleged offence face trial in a children’s court, provided they are under 19 when they attend court.
The exception is children accused of crimes causing death, such as murder, who are diverted to adult courts.
Maximum periods of detention in the children’s court are three to four years, depending on the number ofoffences and the court theyare sentenced in.
Offenders aged 12 to 15 are detained in youth residential centres, while 15 to 20-year-olds are detained in youth justice centres.
Details
Allan announced the proposed changes on Wednesday morning, calling them “serious consequences.”
Among the crimes included in the measure are home invasion, carjacking, violence causing intentional injury, and serious and repeated burglaries and robberies.
Young people who commit these crimes will face trial in adult courts, meaning they are subject to maximum penalties — up to life in prison.
The rule that judges must treat jail as a “last resort” would also be removed.
Since 2019, crimes committed by offenders aged 10-17 have increased by around 47%.
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The proportion of total offencescommitted by young people (10-17)has increased by 20% since 2019, accounting for about 13% ofoffences.
In September, Victoria Policecharged a group of teenagers aged between 15 and 19 with the murder of two boys in Melbourne’s outer-west.
The Government will put forward a bill before the end of the sitting year on 4 December, with a goal to have it in place by 2026.
Queensland
The Queensland Government passed its ‘adult time, adult crime’ laws in December 2024 to address what it called the state’s “youth crime crisis”.
Under the legislation, young peopleface the same sentencing as adults forserious crimes including murder, manslaughter, robbery, and assault.
The reforms also permit courts to consider the criminal history of a young person during sentencing.
In May, the laws were expanded to include more crimes, such as rape, torture and drug trafficking.
Criticism
Youthlaw CEO Lee Carnie condemned the measures, calling them “an alarming step backwards.”
Carnie said young people who commit crime are disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds and victims of crime themselves, and “need rehabilitation, education and support — not harsher punishment and longer prison sentences.”
RMIT University Social Equity Research Centre’s Dr Kathryn Daley said jail “does not reduce offending” and is “expensive and ineffective.”
Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the Government had “ripped a headline out of Queensland, but pulled away the substance.”
The legislation is still being drafted, which Battin labelled “an absolute joke”.
He added that if it wins the state’s next election in November 2026, the Coalition would “be tough on crime and smart on justice”.
