Is it legal for a six year old not at school to do a 16 hour shift?

Question

in australia and full time

Answer 1

Child labor, a worldwide scourge, has become a growth industry in Australia over the past 15 years. Children as young as 7 have become an indispensable component of major industries, particularly retail and clothing.

In the clothing industry, the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union estimates that 82,500 children under-16 are now working, usually at home alongside their parents, out of a total workforce of 329 000. The sweatshop conditions in which they and other children often work--including long hours, unsafe facilities and token wages--expose the myth that child labor is confined to the "Third World".

Reports in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age newspapers last month gave a glimpse into the situation. These reports primarily focused on the industrial injuries suffered by youth.

Nationally on average 1,600 children aged between 12 and 16 are seriously injured, maimed or killed each year in industry. In the most populous state of New South Wales alone, eight children under 16 were killed, 232 suffered permanent disability and 2,013 received serious injuries between 1991 and 1997.

In Victoria, the work cover agency only provided figures for 15-16 year olds, showing that 3,579 had been seriously injured since 1985. Queensland had 467 serious injuries in 1997-98 and 491 in 1996-97.

South Australia had claims from children as young as 11, with 314 reports of serious injury in 1997-98. Western Australia recorded 61 serious injuries to 13 to 14 years olds from 1993 to 1997 and 226 for under 16s in 1996-97. Of these, 114 suffered fractures, 83 serious burns and 11 traumatic amputations.

These figures provide only a partial picture, covering those accidents that were officially reported or led to compensation claims.

Some of the horrendous deaths and injuries included the death of a 14-year-old boy after falling from milk truck; a 16-year-old boy suffocated by fumes inside an empty petrol tanker; a 13-year-old boy crushed to death under an orchard sprayer; a 13-year-old boy killed after his larynx was crushed by a strap pulling shopping trolleys; a 13-year-old girl sucked into wheat silo; a 15-year-old boy poisoned by gas in an abattoir; and the maiming of a 15-year-old girl who fell waist deep into a vat of boiling oil.

So if you are thinking of putting your young child through that sort of abuse please use your head, reconsider and let them enjoy their childhood which you seem to want to take away. They will start working when they think the time is right, and you pushing that on them at the young age of 6 just makes you an unfit parent.

Answer 2

That's not legal. However, it'd be OK if it were two 8 hour shifts. Like, Saturday night working the 3pm-midnight shift, and then Sunday morning working the 12am-9am shift (assuming you get an hour lunch for each shift). You gotta love loopholes.

Answer 3

An adult shouldn't be doing a 16 hour shift ( but yes sometimes we do)  let alone a 6 year old!!! HELLOOOOO he's a child he should be in SCHOOL and then having FUN like other children his age!!

If you asking out of curiousity well now you know peoples thoughts if your asking cause you know of a 6 year old child that this is happening to you then shame on you. First thing you should of done is report it. Child workers are everywhere and mostly found in 3rd would countries because they have to work in order for the family to eat, yes still heartbreaking but in some cases understandable that they have to work it's there way of life, but Australia is far from a 3rd world country, there are laws in place to protect children, and it's that child right that he's entitled to an education!!

Answer 4

WTF???? That has to be the most stupid question for this month!

Answer 5

Why would a 6 year old be doing a 16 hour shift! Retarded question!!!! Ask people yourself in AUSTRAILIa!

Answer 6

h**l YES.

I'm angry that you even posted this question.

Answer 7

I seriously hope you're kidding.

Adults legally can't work this length of time let alone a child...

Locally children cannot work under the age of 13 and only on certain jobs (eg delivering the local paper).  Most companies cannot employ children much under the age of 15 years (14 years 9 months I think it is currently)

The maximum a child can work per week is 12 hours.