What is the Legal Age to get a Job in Queensland?

The general legal age to get a job in Queensland in most industries is 13. There is, however, no legal age limit for working in a family business or the entertainment industry. Children who are 11 years or older, can do delivery work such as delivering advertising pamphlets and newspapers, but they are not allowed to do this work between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

Children under the age of 16 can work on weekends, during school holidays and after school hours. Employers are required by law to ensure that no more than 4 hours per day are worked on school days,  hours on non-school days, and 12 hours in total in any given week.

Parental Consent

Under Queensland law, parental consent is necessary for any child to work if they are under 16 years of age. It is illegal for any employer to hire a child of school age, without their parents’ knowledge and agreement. There are laws put in place in QLD to protect children from being taken advantage of, or being worked more than what the government deems an acceptable number of hours per week.

An employer must have a signed form of consent from a parent of the child they want to employ. This form must contain the hours when the child is meant to be at school and needs to be updated should these hours change over the course of employment.

Laws to protect children have been put in place and there are penalties for any employer who does not comply with the related laws. The QLD Government employs inspectors to monitor businesses that are hiring school-aged children (or suspected of hiring them illegally) and who may be working outside of legal requirements.

If you are in need of legal advice with regards to employment law, contact Bouchier Khan for an initial consultation.