Age of Criminal Responsibility

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14:48): Supplementary: in light of the number of children currently being held in detention, when will the government finally raise the age of criminal responsibility here in South Australia, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations and so many other groups?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for his question. Once again, I acknowledge his steadfast and consistent advocacy for raising the age in South Australia.

As I have informed the chamber before, we do not have a policy in relation to that as a government. We have done an extensive amount of work in relation to if that did happen what would take its place. I have said before that our overriding priority in looking at this issue is community safety. If you raise the age, what else do you have rather than a criminal justice response—a therapeutic and family support response—to make the community safer? That work continues.