01/09/2026
Law targets adult recruiters of child offenders
Parliament has passed legislation aimed at cracking down on organised crime groups that recruit children to commit serious offences, with adult recruiters facing a potential life sentence.
In her second reading speech Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny told the Legislative Assembly that criminal networks are increasingly exploiting vulnerable young people to carry out violent crimes, posing significant risks to community safety and increasing the likelihood of children becoming entrenched in criminal behaviour.
Under the Crimes Amendment (Recruitment of Children for Criminal Activity) Bill 2026, a new offence will be created for adults who recruit children to engage in serious criminal activity carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment or more, including crimes such as murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated home invasion, carjacking and arson. The offence will apply even if the child does not go on to commit the crime.
The legislation would impose a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, reflecting what she said was the high level of criminal culpability involved in exploiting children for organised crime.
'Organised crime groups are deliberately recruiting vulnerable young people to carry out violent acts as they are cheaper to hire, more easily influenced, impressionable and easily accessible online,' she said.
Member for Northern Metropolitan Evan Mulholland told the Legislative Council debate that he supported the bill but said it contained a significant loophole. While the legislation targets adults who recruit children, he said organised crime networks could circumvent the law by using 17-year-olds to recruit other children.
'The law should target the act of recruitment itself rather than creating an arbitrary distinction depending on whether the recruiter happens to be 17 years old or 18 years old,' he said.
The Liberals and Nationals proposed an amendment to remove the word "adult" from the offence so it applies to anyone recruiting children into serious criminal activity.
'The government risks creating the legislative conditions for a criminal pyramid scheme: an adult recruits one young person, the young person recruits many others, and the recruitment continues down the chain,' he said.
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