Youth Justice and Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2026
The Northern Territory (NT) Government has introduced reforms through the Youth Justice and Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2026.
The amendments strengthen and modernise aspects of youth justice legislation and support the continued delivery of contemporary youth justice services across the NT.
Legislative timeline
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 13 May 2026 | Youth Justice and Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2026 was introduced into the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. |
| 22 July 2026 | The Bill was passed by the Northern Territory Parliament. |
| 12 August 2026 | The Bill received Administrator's Assent and became the Youth Justice and Criminal Code Amendment Act 2026 (Act No. 19 of 2026). |
| 12 October 2026 | The Act commenced operation across the Northern Territory. |
Key amendements
Supporting early intervention and public safety
The Bill introduces new protected interview provisions, allowing police to speak with young people about offending, diversion opportunities or information relevant to an offence.
Any information a young person gives during these interviews cannot be used against them in criminal or civil proceedings.
Safeguards include access to legal advice, support people and the right to silence.
The Bill also creates an urgent protected interview process. This allows police to get information from a young person about serious and urgent public safety matters while maintaining appropriate protections.
Strengthening youth justice operations
The Bill establishes intake and transfer facilities to provide a safe and secure location for young people waiting to be transferred to a detention centre.
It sets out the purpose, governance and operational arrangements for these facilities.
The Bill also clarifies arrangements for transporting and managing detainees, including:
- transfers
- escorts
- searches
- maintaining lawful custody.
Strengthening protections for corrections workers
The Criminal Code Act 1983 will be amended to recognise corrections workers as a protected worker category under assault offences.
Assaults on corrections workers while doing their official duties will be treated consistently with assaults on police officers and emergency workers.
These protections will apply to a range of frontline staff working in correction and youth detention environments.
This recognises the important public safety role staff perform and the risks they manage while maintaining lawful custody and responding to incidents.
More information
For more information, read the:
Contact
For more information, contact your relevant Youth Justice team.