The Victorian Liberal Party has proposed that young people under 15 should face a midnight curfew or risk being detained by police. It’s an interesting idea.

It says something about parental responsibility, or lack of, that politicians are even thinking along these lines.

The Herald-Sun article this morning didn’t quote any opposition to the plan, which will no doubt follow.

Thinking back to my past role as a Youth Council Mayor, I would have opposed this strongly as an attack on young people’s freedom.

It’s funny how your perspective changes with age (and hopefully wisdom), but today I see the idea as having much merit.

A curfew wouldn’t stop children from roaming the streets at night, but it would make them and their parents think twice, and hopefully make them more responsible.

It would also give police a means of dealing with suspicious behavior. Liberal leader Robert Doyle also spoke about giving police discretion in how they enforce the proposed law.

The only downsides that I can see are libertarian and practical. How will police detain large groups of young people, especially in country towns?

A law may “send a message” but it also needs to be fair and enforceable.