From 1 July 2023, a new child employment licensing system will replace the existing permit system for the employment of children in the entertainment industry in Victoria.

Producers will be able to apply for a 12-month Child Employment Licence, which can be renewed annually. This allows for the employment of multiple children under the one Child Employment Licence, rather than applying for individual permits for each child. The new system will be risk based and sit within a new portal. 

While employers will still be required to notify Wage Inspectorate Victoria each time they employ children during the licence period, the process should be more streamlined, as employers will already hold the Child Employment Licence.

The assessment process will include a “fit and proper test” which, among other factors, considers an employer’s past compliance with child employment laws.

It is also noteworthy for current projects that any existing permits remain valid, but employers will need to apply for a Child Employment Licence once a permit has expired.

More information is available here.

This article has been written by Julia Fimiani and Francisca Hoffmann Axthelm who participated in the Entertainment Industry Working Group held by the Wage Inspectorate Victoria.

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