Wittingslow Carnivals facing fines of $2.4m over alleged breaches of rules for underage workers
The operators of a famed summer carnival on the Mornington Peninsula will front court next month over a string of alleged breaches of Victoria’s child employment laws.
South East
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The operator of a Mornington Peninsula carnival, where a young boy died in 2017 after being flung from a ride, is facing 133 fresh charges.
Wittingslow Carnivals Pty Ltd has been charged with a string of breaches of Victoria’s child employment laws including using underage workers without a permit.
The state’s child employment watchdog, Wage Inspectorate Victoria, has alleged that between December 26, 2022 and January 28, 2023 Wittingslow Carnivals employed three children under the age of 15 without a permit on 52 occasions.
The company has also been accused of employing underage workers 24 times, having children work later than 9pm on 52 occasions, and employing a child for more hours than they are permitted to work five times.
The maximum penalty for each offence is $18,492 with a total possible fine of $2.46m.
The summer carnival is currently operating on the Rye foreshore from 6pm to 11pm until January 27.
Wittingslow Carnivals Pty Ltd was due to front Melbourne Magistrates Court to answer the charges in February.
The new charges come after a 2023 coronial investigation into the death of Eugene Mahauariki, 6, on the Cha-Cha ride at the 2017 Rye Easter Carnival found the restraints that were meant to hold him in place in his seat were not compliant with Australian standards.
Coroner Sarah Gerbert also found the foreign backpacker who operated the ride at the time of Eugene’s death was not adequately trained and did not follow the rules.
Seatbelts were added to the Cha-Cha following Eugene’s death.
The ride is listed for sale on Wittingslow’s website for $80,000.
WorkSafe Victoria initially charged Wittingslow Amusements with failing to ensure that people other than employees “were not exposed to risks to their health or safety”.
However the charges were dropped in 2020.
