Vic: State s justice system not Williams s business: Hulls

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2000
Vic: State s justice system not Williams s business: Hulls

Victorian Attorney-General ROB HULLS says his federal counterpart DARYL WILLIAMS has
no place to tell Victoria it should raise the age at which juveniles are dealt with as
adults in the justice system.

Mr HULLS has accused Mr WILLIAMS of trying to divert attention from his failure to
scrap mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and his home state of Western Australia.

Mr WILLIAMS wrote to Mr HULLS yesterday urging Victoria to amend laws to ensure that
a person charged with a crime would be treated as an adult from the age of 18 rather than
17 years.

Mr HULLS says a Victorian cabinet sub-committee is currently considering the age at
which people should be considered adults in the justice system.

He says it's hypocritical for Mr WILLIAMS to write to Victoria while he hasn't written
to the WA and NT attorneys-general demanding that they abolish mandatory sentencing.

AAP RTV tsc/er/msk/jn

KEYWORD: MANDATORY HULLS (MELBOURNE)

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