Under the Family Law Act 1975 you and the other parent have responsibility until your child turns 18. Even if you separate from your partner, your parental responsibility will not automatically change. You can both make decisions about major long term issues such as how far away from each other the parents live. Parents are held responsible because they have a duty to educate and supervise their minor children. So, if their minor child (a child under 18) causes harm to another person, the law says that the parents have not met their duty. The harm would not have occurred if the child had been properly supervised and educated.
In a country where juvenile delinquency continues to rise, one would expect regulatory authorities to take appropriate action to tackle the root of the problem – irresponsible parenting. Shockingly, in Australia, parents of children under 16 years of age who commit offenses are seldom held accountable under key laws and legislation. This glaring omission not only perpetuates a culture of negligence but also undermines the very foundations of a just and law-abiding society.
The Australian legal system has long recognized that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s behavior and moral compass. Consequently, they have enacted laws and legislation aimed at holding parents responsible for the actions of their underage offenders. Yet, it seems that these laws have become nothing more than mere words on paper, as regulatory authorities consistently fail to enforce them effectively.
One such critical law is the parental responsibility law, which allows parents to be charged when their children engage in criminal behavior. The rationale behind this legislation is clear – to ensure that parents take their parental responsibilities seriously and actively engage in guiding their children away from delinquency. However, the shocking reality is that this law remains largely dormant, and parents continue to evade accountability for their children’s actions.
The consequences of this negligence are evident in the alarming statistics of juvenile crimes across the nation. Instead of tackling the issue at its source, regulatory authorities seem content with putting band-aids on the symptoms without addressing the root cause. Juvenile delinquents roam freely, knowing that the law will seldom target their parents, enabling them to continue down a path of crime with little fear of repercussions.
One might wonder why regulatory authorities are not taking a more proactive approach to enforce these laws and ensure that parents are held accountable. Several factors may be at play, ranging from a lack of resources and manpower to bureaucratic inefficiency and misguided priorities. However, none of these excuses justify allowing irresponsible parents to escape the consequences of their negligence.
The impact of juvenile delinquency on society cannot be underestimated. It not only perpetuates a cycle of crime but also places an enormous burden on law-abiding citizens who suffer the consequences of these offenses. By failing to enforce parental responsibility laws, regulatory authorities are, in essence, complicit in perpetuating this cycle and exacerbating the problem.
Australia’s reputation as a nation that values law and order is at stake. If regulatory authorities continue to turn a blind eye to parental accountability, they will be sending a dangerous message to both parents and young offenders. Such negligence will only breed a generation of delinquents who grow up without any sense of responsibility or consequences for their actions.
It is time for the regulatory authorities to wake up from their slumber and take meaningful action to hold parents accountable for the actions of their underage children. Strong enforcement of parental responsibility laws is a crucial step towards curbing juvenile delinquency and fostering a safer society.
The current state of parental responsibility enforcement in Australia is nothing short of a disgrace. Regulatory authorities must prioritize their duties and take a firm stance on holding parents accountable for their children’s criminal actions. Ignoring this issue will only perpetuate the cycle of delinquency and undermine the very fabric of our society, leaving future generations to pay the price for their inaction. The time for excuses is over – it is time to act decisively and put an end to this culture of irresponsibility.
REF: https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/37898/8/02whole.pdf
