We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners of lands across Australia, their Elders, Ancestors, cultures and heritage, and recognise the continuing sovereignties of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations.

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which the ACTF is based and pay our respect to their Elders past and present.

We are honoured to have the opportunity to learn from the oldest cultural storytellers in the world and seek to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners to share their rich culture and perspectives with children in Australia and around the world via stories on screen.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or text.

Important news for producers: new child employment license system in Victoria

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.