The Victorian government is abandoning a plan to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.

Premier Jacinta Allan announced the change to the long-advocated reform ahead of parliament resuming today.

The original plan to raise the age was proposed during former premier Dan Andrews tenure. However, after a series of incidents involving alleged youth offenders, the government has decided to reject their original plan.

The other proposed legislation to raise the current age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years of age will still go ahead.

Jacinta Allan defended the decision not to raise the age to 14.

“The decision has been made at a different time by a different government with a different premier,” she said.

“The announcements we’re making keep that sharp focus on that serious, high-risk offending while we also maintain that really strong focus on doing everything we can to divert young people away from a life of crime.”

Some Australian advocacy groups will likely be unhappy with the announcement, given groups like Change the Record, a coalition of legal and advocacy groups told the ABC last year that the initial pledge was already “too little, too late” and “absolute bare minimum reform”.

Photo: Police officers of Queensland Police Service, on the beat, in Brisbane Australia by Kgbo is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.