Border Red Rooster outlet pleads guilty to 29 child labour charges
A fast food franchise in the border town of Wodonga has pleaded guilty to multiple child labour breaches.
Wodonga Food Pty Ltd, which operated the Wodonga Red Rooster outlet near the Victoria-NSW border, pleaded guilty to 29 charges across 154 occasions.
The offences had been rolled up from an initial 355 charges as part of a plea deal.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.An investigation by Victoria’s child employment watchdog uncovered instances of employing a child under 15 for shifts for longer than three hours or past 9pm, failing to provide supervision from an adult with a valid Working With Children clearance and employing a child without a permit.
The franchise was the owner’s first business in Victoria, after running six similar businesses in NSW, Magistrate Timothy Gattuso noted in the plea hearing.
“You’ve got people who are operating this franchise who are based in Canberra and NSW and have done what would be compliant with the obligations in NSW but not across the river,” Mr Gattuso told the court.
The Crown is seeking a fine and a conviction for the breaches.
Wodonga Food’s defence team is requesting a conviction be avoided and for the court to facilitate mediation with Red Rooster, which ended the business’s more than $400,000 franchise agreement following the allegations.
The matter continues on Friday afternoon.
