Muffin Break Southland slapped with 360 criminal charges by Wage Inspectorate Victoria

Muffin Break’s Southland store has been slapped with a staggering 360 criminal charges by Victoria’s wage watchdog over allegations of illegal child labour.

Muffin Break has been slapped with 360 criminal charges.

Muffin Break has been slapped with 360 criminal charges over illegal child labour, including children working without adequate breaks and for too long during the school term.

Among a series of accusations, Wage Inspectorate Victoria (WIV) alleges the muffin chain’s Southland shop broke child employment laws by hiring three kids under the age of 15 without a permit – 111 times – from March to October in 2022.

It is also alleged the young Muffin Break workers were not afforded rest breaks of at least 30 minutes every three hours, and that their shift times exceeded the legal three hours through the school term and more than the allowed six hours on school holidays.

The state’s child employment watchdog also says the children were not supervised by a person with a working with children check.

Wage Inspectorate Victoria alleges the muffin chain’s Southland shop broke child employment laws by hiring three kids under the age of 15 without a permit. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The five charges levelled against the Southland franchise each carry a maximum penalty of more than $18,000, with the muffin makers to face court over the allegations in June.

Under Victorian child work laws, employers must gain a permit from WIV before hiring anyone under the age of 15, and those who are hired must be supervised by someone with a working with children check.

Children during a school term are restricted to working three hours a day and 12 hours per week. In school holidays, those limits are relaxed to six hours a day and 30 hours per week.

The Muffin Break bombshell comes after WIV completed a statewide crackdown on child employment over the recent school holidays.

The watchdog said it shone the spotlight particularly on takeaway food shops to probe whether kids were being made to work near dangerous equipment like deep fryers, chopping machines and pizza ovens.

“Kids under 15 don’t always recognise risks in the workplace and some don’t feel able to speak up when they feel unsafe,” WIV commissioner Robert Hortle said during the school holidays.

“Parents have a role to play too. If you have a child under 15 who has just secured a job, make sure the employer has a child employment permit. It’s a simple step you can take to ensure the employer has considered your child’s health and wellbeing.”

Muffin Break is the eighth business to have been caught allegedly breaking child employment laws over the last 18 months.

The matter will be heard in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on June 16.