Regulating Child Employment in Australia
Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law (CELRL) hosted a seminar on Thursday 18 April 2024 on the topic of 'Regulating Child Employment in Australia'. This seminar was presented by three panellists: Paula McDonald a Professor of Work and Organisation and Pro Vice Chancellor, Research at QUT, Josh Peak (SDA Secretary) and Jessica Downey, Assistant Director Child Employment.
The three panellists shared their distinct perspectives on regulating child employment in Australia. Professor Paula McDonald (QUT) discussed the reasons why the visibility of children’s work remains obscured and the absence of concrete data in this space. Josh Peak (SDA) provided insights into the challenges of regulating child employment in a state, such as South Australia, where there are very few formal laws directed at work performed by children. Assistant Director Jessica Downey (Wage Inspectorate Victoria) joined to share her experience in promoting compliance with, and enforcing, the newly revamped child employment laws in Victoria.
In June 2023, Australia formally ratified the ILO’s key convention on child employment (the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No 138)). This was intended to ‘enhance Australia’s standing in the international community and the ability to address labour rights issues authoritatively … in the Asia-Pacific region.’ In the domestic context, it has underlined the patchy regulation of child employment in various states across Australia and highlighted the need for more research and major regulatory reform.
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