Wage watchdog urges VIC businesses to obtain child employment licences
To make sure young workers are kept safe, Victroria’s wage watchdog is urging businesses to obtain a child employment license before the busy Christmas season.
Summer jobs are a rite of passage for many young Victorians.
And to make sure young workers are kept safe, the state’s wage watchdog is urging businesses to obtain a child employment licence before the busy Christmas season.
Businesses hoping to recruit staff aged 15 or below must first obtain a child employment licence from Wage Inspectorate Victoria.
That licence ensures employers know the rules around hiring young staff, who must work under supervision and cannot work long hours.
Obtaining a child employment licence is free.
However, they can take 10 days to process, giving Victorian employers precious little time before hiring Christmas staff.
In a statement, Wage Inspectorate Victoria commissioner Robert Hortle said businesses should get in early.
“Kids under 15 cannot start work until the business has a licence,” he said.
“So, if you don’t apply for a licence in time, you risk having to delay the child’s start date and being short-staffed.”
More than 1,000 licences issued to date
Wage Inspectorate Victoria has issued more than 1,000 licences since the scheme began in July 2023.
It streamlined earlier child employment rules, which required employers to obtain a permit for each under-15 employee on the books.
Despite wide adoption of the new licence system, some businesses have flouted the rules.
Last summer, a scan of Surf Coast businesses revealed nearly nine in ten were violating at least one aspect of child employment law.
Officers will resume their inspection of Victorian businesses this holiday season.
Serious breaches of those safety rules can attract fines of up to $200,000.
Laws around child employment are easy to understand, and Wage Inspectorate Victoria is open to questions from employers, Hortle said.
As a result, “there’s really no excuse for noncompliance.”
Rules around supervision, hours, and rest breaks
Under Victorian law, employees must be at least 13 years old to work in retail or hospitality, and at least 11 years old to work a paper route or deliver advertising material.
There is no minimum age limit for those working in entertainment, but industry-specific guidelines and licences apply.
Workers under 15 must be supervised by an adult who holds a valid Working with Children Clearance (parents supervising their child in the workplace are exempt).
Young employees also have different limits around working hours compared to their older colleagues.
In general, children can work six hours a day, and a maximum of 30 hours a week, during the school holiday period.
That drops to three hours a day and twelve hours a week during the school term.
Children cannot work during school hours at all, and can usually only work between 6am and 9pm.
Workers under 15 are also entitled to a 30-minute rest break for every three hours of work.
Employers can learn more at the Wage Inspectorate Victoria website.
Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on LinkedIn.
