Observations on the General Scheme of the Children (Amendment) Bill 2024

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) has made a submission on the General Scheme of the Children (Amendment) Bill 2024, which proposes a series of amendments to the Children Act 2001. The OCO welcomes the general purpose of the Bill which extends the jurisdiction of the Children Court to include those who have ‘aged-out’ of the child justice system, despite being under 18 at time of the offence.

In the submission to the Committee of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the OCO recommends a number of provisions which would strengthen the amended Act from a children’s rights standpoint. These include raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, introducing a statutory right to integrated and appropriate aftercare for children leaving detention, and an amendment to the new Deferred Sentence Supervision Orders designed to reduce recourse to adult imprisonment. For more detail, please see the full submission document below.

• September 2025
• Type: Submission