HOSTED BY

Prof Stuart Kinner, Justice Health, Centre for Adolescent Health, MCRI; Head, Justice Health Unit, University of Melbourne

FACILITATED BY

Ms Shahleena Musk, Senior Lawyer, Human Rights Law Centre

PANELLISTS

Ms Amanda Chambers, President of the Children’s Court

Dr Mick Creati, Senior Fellow, Royal Australian College of Physicians

Ms Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People

SYNOPSIS

Across Australia children as young as 10 years of age can be arrested by police, charged with a criminal offence, prosecuted and imprisoned.

Each year, around 9,000 Australian children below the age of 14 years come under youth justice supervision and over 600 children are held in youth prisons. Around 70 percent of these children are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Imprisoning children leads to bad social and public health outcomes and undermines children’s ability to thrive in life.

Australia’s low age of criminal responsibility is out of step with global human rights standards and medical knowledge of children’s brain development. Accordingly, there is now a growing push from both national and international advocates for Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years.

Our panel will draw on their medical, legal and lived experience to explore this issue.

LUNCH

A light lunch will be provided, from 1.30 pm – 2.00 pm, for those who wish to stay and meet the speakers.

Register your attendance