business.gov.au

Child Employment Permit - Victoria

Description

You will require this licence if you intend to employ children under 15 years old.

In Victoria, a child must be: 

  • 11 to deliver newspapers and advertising material
  • 13 to deliver pharmaceutical products or do other types of work, such as retail or hospitality. 

There is no age limit for working in entertainment, but there are industry-specific requirements. 

Children can only be employed for light work, that is not harmful to their health, safety, wellbeing and development. A child cannot work: 

  • on a building site
  • on a fishing boat 
  • selling door-to-door. 

An employer usually needs a licence to employ someone under 15, whether the work is paid or voluntary.

Where a licence is granted, a business can employ multiple children under one licence. 

Service type

Licence

A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.

Eligibility requirements

The application must be made by the potential employer. Please submit your completed application on the approved form, and attach all associated documentation, including:

  • potential employer's details
  • child or children's personal and school details
  • the informed consent of the child or children's parent(s) or guardian(s)
  • details of the proposed work activities and intended hours and dates of employment
  • any other information required by the Agency.

Ongoing eligibility requirements

Ongoing expectations are attached to the approval of this licence, including the obligation on the potential employer to ensure that all legislative requirements are met.

There may be licence conditions that place ongoing operating limitations on children's employment relating to a particular locality, time limits, activity or event, or prohibiting the use of particular equipment so that children do not face hazards in the workplace.

You will be required to keep records detailing the dates, times, and hours worked by any children employed, and this record must be kept for at least 12 months.

Duration

Up to 24 months

Fees

Fees Details for this service in table format.

Task Type Business Structure Description
Apply Application All

There is no application fee

Forms

Other resources

Task Business Structure Resources
Apply All Apply for a Child Employment Licence (Opens in new window)

Act(s) name

Child Employment Act 2003 Victoria

Lodgement process

Apply

Please lodge all applications through the online Child Employment Portal.

Approval time

Child employment licence applications and support documents must be lodged a minimum of 5 business days prior to a child commencing work. Applications received outside of this time frame will be refused.

Additional information

The minimum age of employment of a child is thirteen years, however a minimum age of eleven years applies to certain delivery work. There is no minimum age for children working in the entertainment industry. Different areas of industry require abiding by specific industry codes of practices in relation to working with children.

A child must be supervised by someone who holds a current and valid working with children check.

Administering agency

Wage Inspectorate Victoria

Contact details

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.