Australia moves towards raising age of criminal responsibility but advocates say 12 still too young

Lawmakers agree to make plan to lift age but justice groups say it will have little impact on the number of children imprisoned

Australia's attorneys general have agreed to formulate a plan to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years old, but the move has been criticised by justice advocates as a nothing" decision that will do little to reduce the juvenile detention population.

In a statement released late on Monday, the Meeting of Attorneys-General agreed to support development of a proposal to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12, including with regard to any carve outs, timing and discussion of implementation requirements".