Age of Criminal Responsibility

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:07): Supplementary: has it ever been suggested in any of the discussions the Attorney has been privy to that there won't be an appropriate response depending on the severity of the offending in question?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:08): I think I understand the honourable member's question. Certainly, in any discussions I have been involved in, there are no suggestions that there shouldn't be a response to a young person who finds themselves with antisocial behaviour or doing things that would constitute an offence. None of the discussions I have been involved in suggest a young person should just be able to do what would otherwise be offending if you raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility. All the discussions that I have been involved in suggest there needs to be some other intervention in the young person's life.