What is the current minimum working age in Australia?

The minimum working age of “14 years and 9 months” appears to have become a “myth,” according to the SDA union in a discussion with ABC News amid the annual influx of young people getting summer jobs over the holidays.

“The 14 years and 9-month rule is not true — it's a myth — and unfortunately we don't have a clear standard for the minimum age of working,” Josh Peak, the secretary of the SDA union, told the ABC.

The SDA union represents employees in the fast food and retail sectors, the ones which tend to rely on young workers to fill the gaps in the workforce. It is among the groups that work on dispelling the persistent myth and that call for stronger and more consistent laws to oversee child employment in Australia.

Need for more consistent labor laws for younger workers

In the report, Paula McDonald from Queensland's University of Technology echoes concerns about the insufficient regulatory framework for young workers.

“We have a really patchy and insufficient regulatory framework around child employment,” she said. "The Fair Work Act exempts child employment specifically, and leaves the states to develop their own regulation. There are several states which have no specific child employment regulation whatsoever."

The SDA union says the myth has come from a time when 14 years and 9 months was the minimum age a young person could leave their schooling to formally join the workforce full time.

Child employment laws vary across states and territories in Australia, with some lacking specific regulations, according to ABC. In the ACT, employing individuals under 15 is illegal, except for "light work," with restrictions on hours worked. The Northern Territory has no specific child employment laws, but those under 15 can't work between 10 pm and 6 am.

In looking at the most recent Census, there’s a surge of millennials leaving state capitals for country communities, according to independent think-tank Regional Australia Institute.

Minimum ages across Australia

Queensland sets the minimum working age at 13, allowing certain jobs for 11-year-olds. Similar restrictions on hours apply, mirroring other states. Victoria imposes age restrictions, requiring businesses employing under-15s to obtain a license, except for family businesses and the entertainment industry.

In Western Australia, the minimum working age is 15, except for specific cases like family businesses. Younger children may work with parental written permission. New South Wales lacks a minimum working age but imposes restrictions on tasks for those under 18.

South Australia and Tasmania lack child employment legislation but prohibit work during school hours.

Professor McDonald agrees a national standard or consistent laws would protect younger workers. “Children are not mini adults, they have vulnerabilities in work,” she noted.

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