Roughly 550 alleged violations discovered by Wage Inspectorate Victoria
Nearly nine in 10 Surf Coast businesses that are employing kids have been found to be breaching at least one aspect of Child Employment Act 2003, according to Wage Inspectorate Victoria.
Following its inspection from Torquay to Lorne, the state's child employment regulator said 56% of businesses employing kids under 15 were doing so without the required licence and were breaching other child employment conditions.
Another 33% had a child employment licence but were breaching rules over supervision, work hours, and rest breaks.
Robert Hortle, Commissioner of Wage Inspectorate Victoria, said they were already expecting breaches during the inspection after getting tipped off by their intel.
"But it's concerning that most businesses employing kids were breaching the law in one way or another. It shows the need for ongoing education and compliance monitoring," Hortle said in a statement.
Overall, roughly 550 alleged offences against the Child Employment Act 2003 were discovered by Wage Inspectorate Victoria, with most related to children working outside allowable hours and not getting adequate breaks.
All unlicensed businesses have already applied for a licence, according to the regulator, adding that there was a 366% increase in applications since the inspection.
It also issued formal warnings to non-compliant businesses, after considering the circumstances of the alleged offending and employers' cooperation to bring themselves to compliance.
