The creators of a federal government-funded $27 million early learning program have been charged for allegedly breaching child labour laws by Victoria's employment watchdog.
The Wage Inspectorate Victoria has filed 48 charges in the Melbourne Magistrates Court against AKQA Pty Ltd, trading as Millipede.
It's alleged Millipede, which created the Early Learning Languages Australia app for the federal government, has breached state laws over the employment of children aged under 15.
The inspectorate alleged Millipede did not obtain mandatory child employment permits when employing children and failed to comply with the Mandatory Code of Practice for kids working in the entertainment industry.
Victoria requires employers to have a permit before a child under 15 can be employed, unless it is a family business.
The company will face Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 4.
AAP has contacted Millipede for a response.
Since 2014 the federal government has invested more than $27.5 million in the ELLA app, which introduces young children to languages other than English in an early learning setting.
There were more than 110,000 children in about 3500 preschools across Australia participating in the program in 2019.
Australian Associated Press
