Queensland has some of the toughest youth crime laws in Australia. If you commit an offence while you are under 18 this is what the laws may mean for you.

What is ‘Adult Crime, Adult Time’?

There are 33 offences for which children can receive the same penalty as an adult, now known as ‘significant offences’.

These 13 offences are 'significant offences' if they were committed after 12th December 2024:

• Unlawful use of a motor vehicle
• Unlawful entry of a vehicle
• Dangerous operations of a motor vehicle
• Break and enter premises
• Burglary
• Robbery
• Serious assault
• Wounding
• Acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm
• Grievous bodily harm
• Unlawful striking causing death
• Manslaughter
• Murder.

These 20 offences are 'significant offences' if they were committed after 23rd of May 2025:

• Going armed so as to cause fear
• Threatening violence
• Attempt to murder
• Accessory after the fact to murder
• Assaulting a pregnant person and killing, or doing grievous bodily harm to, or transmitting a serious disease to the unborn child
• Torture
• Damaging emergency vehicle when operating motor vehicle
• Endangering police officer when driving motor vehicle
• Rape
• Attempt to commit rape
• Assault with intent to commit rape
• Sexual assault, if the circumstance in subsection (2) (involving any part of the mouth) or (3) (while armed, in company, or involving penetration) applies
• Kidnapping
• Kidnapping for ransom
• Deprivation of liberty
• Stealing, if item 12 (a vehicle) or 14 (a firearm for use in another indictable offence) applies
• Attempted robbery, if the circumstance in subsection (2) (armed or in company) or (3) (armed and with violence) applies
• Arson
• Endangering particular property by fire
• Trafficking in dangerous drugs.

For significant offences a magistrate may sentence you to up to 3 years’ probation or detention. A judge can give you the same maximum penalty that an adult can get. This means many significant offences carry a sentence of life detention for a child.
A court can no longer order a restorative justice order for the significant offences without giving you another type of sentence as well (for example, probation). The court can still send you to another type of restorative justice process, like a pre-sentence (before sentence) referral.

A mandatory sentence is a sentence that the court must give. If there is a mandatory sentence the court must give an adult for significant offences then if you’re being sentenced for significant offences in the Childrens Court you must also get the mandatory sentence.

What if I've committed a significant offence before the law changed?

The ‘Adult Crime, Adult Time’ laws won’t apply: you will be sentenced as the law was before these changes.

If you are over 18, the laws about you being held in or moved to an adult prison will apply even if your offence took place before the changes.