The owners and operators of Donut King stores located in Rosebud Plaza and Berwick, face 70 criminal charges in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria over alleged breaches of Victoria’s child employment laws.

The state’s child employment watchdog, Wage Inspectorate Victoria, alleges that between 1 January and 6 July 2024&nbsp;Minto Nominees Pty Ltd, trading as Donut King Rosebud Plaza and Berwick, contravened the Child Employment Act 2003 by:

employing 3 children under the age of 15 without a licence on 30 occasionsfailing to ensure the children are supervised by someone with a Working with Children Clearancefailing to provide a rest break of at least 30 minutes after every 3 hours of workemploying children for longer than 3 hours per day during a school termemploying children for longer than 6 hours per day during school holidays.

The maximum penalty for each offence is $47,422.

The matter has been listed for mention in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 21 February 2025.

The Wage Inspectorate will make no further comment while the matter is before the court.

Victoria’s child employment laws require employers of children under 15 to obtain a licence from the Wage Inspectorate before any work takes place. This enables the Wage Inspectorate to check that matters like safety, hours of work, rest breaks and supervision are properly considered before employment starts.

Workers under 15 must be supervised by someone who holds a valid employee Victorian Working with Children Clearance.

Child employment laws restrict when businesses can employ children and how long they can work:

during a school term, children can be employed for a maximum of 3 hours a day and 12 hours per weekduring school holidays, children can be employed up to 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week.

Children must receive a 30-minute rest break after every 3 hours of work.

A prosecution is the Wage Inspectorate’s most serious compliance tool and decisions to take legal action are made in line with its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/wage-inspectorate-victorias-compliance-and-enforcement-policy" target="_blank">Compliance and Enforcement Policy</a>.

More information about Victoria’s child employment laws is available on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/wage-inspectorate-victoria" target="_blank">Wage Inspectorate’s website</a>&nbsp;or by calling 1800 287 287.

The owners and operators of Donut King stores located in Rosebud Plaza and Berwick, face 70 criminal charges in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria over alleged breaches of Victoria’s child employment laws.The state’s child employment watchdog, Wage Inspectorate Victoria, alleges that between 1 January and 6 July 2024&nbsp;Minto Nominees Pty Ltd, trading as Donut King Rosebud Plaza and Berwick, contravened the Child Employment Act 2003 by:employing 3 children under the age of 15 without a licence on 30 occasionsfailing to ensure the children are supervised by someone with a Working with Children Clearancefailing to provide a rest break of at least 30 minutes after every 3 hours of workemploying children for longer than 3 hours per day during a school termemploying children for longer than 6 hours per day during school holidays.The maximum penalty for each offence is $47,422.The matter has been listed for mention in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 21 February 2025.The Wage Inspectorate will make no further comment while the matter is before the court.<h3>Background</h3>Victoria’s child employment laws require employers of children under 15 to obtain a licence from the Wage Inspectorate before any work takes place. This enables the Wage Inspectorate to check that matters like safety, hours of work, rest breaks and supervision are properly considered before employment starts.Workers under 15 must be supervised by someone who holds a valid employee Victorian Working with Children Clearance.Child employment laws restrict when businesses can employ children and how long they can work:during a school term, children can be employed for a maximum of 3 hours a day and 12 hours per weekduring school holidays, children can be employed up to 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week.Children must receive a 30-minute rest break after every 3 hours of work.A prosecution is the Wage Inspectorate’s most serious compliance tool and decisions to take legal action are made in line with its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/wage-inspectorate-victorias-compliance-and-enforcement-policy" target="_blank">Compliance and Enforcement Policy</a>.More information about Victoria’s child employment laws is available on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vic.gov.au/wage-inspectorate-victoria" target="_blank">Wage Inspectorate’s website</a>&nbsp;or by calling 1800 287 287.

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Food / Sweets

Owners of Donut King stores served with criminal charges over alleged child employment breaches

STEPS officially launched its Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program and its range of NDIS Services in Hervey Bay on Thursday 6 February.

The SEE Program is aimed at giving people the opportunity to improve their language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills through individually contextualised learning.

"With expertise formed from providing training opportunities for almost 20 years, we are incredibly proud to offer inclusive and engaging course content, practical and inspiring work and learning experiences, and access to qualified, dedicated and passionate trainers," said Carmel Crouch AM, Managing Director of STEPS Group.

"Here at STEPS, we believe that when people enrol in a course, they join a community like no other."

Through STEPS' SEE Program, participants can learn the skills necessary to build a pathway to employment, go further in their current career path or build their confidence to undertake further study.

"STEPS has a proven track record of delivering the SEE Program in parts of Northern Queensland and the Northern Territory, successfully creating meaningful outcomes for participants and providing them with the skills needed for further study and employment within their communities," Ms Crouch said.

STEPS'&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stepsgroup.com.au/ndis-services/" target="_blank">NDIS Services</a>&nbsp;empower individuals through personalised support and community connection, fostering confidence, skills, and independence through services such as Employment Support, Supported Independent Living (SIL), Recreational Activities, and more.

"It is such an honour to expand our programs and bring these life-changing learning opportunities to the people of Hervey Bay and the greater Wide Bay region."

Eligible participants can begin their learning journey and take advantage of the free courses offered through the SEE Program by&nbsp;<a href="https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stepsgroup.com.au%2Fcourse%2Fskills-for-education-and-employment%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccolleenmc%40stepsgroup.com.au%7C0b5254ed03714c91d1b508dcc1ae2f24%7Cb2f155b2532c496ea737ded7b19d24fc%7C0%7C0%7C638598201077726394%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C4000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wD7atdWlwF5rH7qJeUJerghnPS6rQDHavx6hDETlCMw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">applying online</a>&nbsp;via the STEPS website.

Participants and employers wishing to access STEPS' range of NDIS Services can reach out to the STEPS team on 1800 312 742 for enquiries or support.

The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program is funded by the Australian&nbsp;Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

STEPS officially launched its Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program and its range of NDIS Services in Hervey Bay on Thursday 6 February.The SEE Program is aimed at giving people the opportunity to improve their language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills through individually contextualised learning."With expertise formed from providing training opportunities for almost 20 years, we are incredibly proud to offer inclusive and engaging course content, practical and inspiring work and learning experiences, and access to qualified, dedicated and passionate trainers," said Carmel Crouch AM, Managing Director of STEPS Group."Here at STEPS, we believe that when people enrol in a course, they join a community like no other."Through STEPS' SEE Program, participants can learn the skills necessary to build a pathway to employment, go further in their current career path or build their confidence to undertake further study."STEPS has a proven track record of delivering the SEE Program in parts of Northern Queensland and the Northern Territory, successfully creating meaningful outcomes for participants and providing them with the skills needed for further study and employment within their communities," Ms Crouch said.STEPS'&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stepsgroup.com.au/ndis-services/" target="_blank">NDIS Services</a>&nbsp;empower individuals through personalised support and community connection, fostering confidence, skills, and independence through services such as Employment Support, Supported Independent Living (SIL), Recreational Activities, and more."It is such an honour to expand our programs and bring these life-changing learning opportunities to the people of Hervey Bay and the greater Wide Bay region."Eligible participants can begin their learning journey and take advantage of the free courses offered through the SEE Program by&nbsp;<a href="https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stepsgroup.com.au%2Fcourse%2Fskills-for-education-and-employment%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Ccolleenmc%40stepsgroup.com.au%7C0b5254ed03714c91d1b508dcc1ae2f24%7Cb2f155b2532c496ea737ded7b19d24fc%7C0%7C0%7C638598201077726394%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C4000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wD7atdWlwF5rH7qJeUJerghnPS6rQDHavx6hDETlCMw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">applying online</a>&nbsp;via the STEPS website.Participants and employers wishing to access STEPS' range of NDIS Services can reach out to the STEPS team on 1800 312 742 for enquiries or support.The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program is funded by the Australian&nbsp;Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

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STEPS Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program and NDIS Services Launch in Hervey Bay

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