The Tasmanian government has agreed with other states to work to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years.
This is despite medical and legal expert opinion that suggests the age should in fact be raised to 14 years.
A meeting of state Attorneys-General on Friday resolved to raise the criminal age by two years with further discussion to take place over the timing and implementation of the proposal.
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Attorney-General Elise Archer said she had consistently held the view that the age of criminal responsibility should be consistent across the states.
"I note that the age of criminal responsibility is a separate issue to the age of detention, which will be considered separately as part of our new approach to custodial youth justice in Tasmania," she said.
"In Tasmania, detention is a sentencing option of last resort and it is extremely rare for a young person under the age of 14 to be sentenced to detention in Tasmania."
A leaked draft report earlier this year from the Council of Attorneys-General considered raising the threshold of criminal responsibility to 12 years and the detention age to 14 years.
Law Society of Tasmania president Simon Gates said the age of criminal responsibility should be raised to 14 years old, in line with a recommendation from the United Nations Child Rights Committee.
"Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12 rather than the existing 10 years is a step in the right direction, but it would be a missed opportunity to bring the state's criminal laws into line with legal, medical and social standards and evidence and research," he said.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has previously expressed supported for raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, arguing children's brains are developing in early adolescence - particularly the parts related to impulse control and judgement.
Two young people in Tasmania aged under 14 have been sentenced to detention over the past five years.
A further 17 have been held temporarily in unsentenced detention while awaiting bail or the outcome of their court matter.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
