The age of consent for sexual activity varies between the ages of 15 and 18 in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Oceania. The specific activity and gender of the participants are also regulated by law. The minimum age is the age at which a person can have unfettered sex with another person of the minimum age. Narrow age exceptions may exist and may be noted. In Vanuatu, the age of homosexual consent is set at 18, while the heterosexual age of consent is 15. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal at any age for men in Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu; it is forbidden to men and women in the Solomon Islands. In all other places, the age of consent is independent of sexual orientation or gender. In most Australian states and territories, the age at which you can legally consent to have sex is 16. The exceptions are South Australia and Tasmania, where he is 17 years old. New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have laws that provide legal defence for a person who has sex with a person under the age of consent if both people are of a similar age. This is called the tight defense of age. There is no single parliamentary law that establishes all the rights and obligations of parents.
In Western Australia, teenagers must be over the age of 16 and have their parents` permission for tattoos. Permission must be made in writing and explain what type of tattoo you accept and where. You have the right to speak to a lawyer at any age if you think you have a legal problem. Although the legal age of consent is 16 or 17 throughout Australia, the laws of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia make it a criminal offence for a person under supervision to have sexual interactions with a person aged 16 or 17 who is in their special custody. 5. A young person under the age of 15 may not lawfully give consent that would prevent an act from constituting an immoral bodily injury within the meaning of this division. A number of jurisdictions offer legal defence when consensual sexual interaction takes place between two young people of near age (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia). These jurisdictions seek to strike a balance between protecting children and youth from sexual exploitation by adults without criminalizing them for peer sex. When children are 18 years old, they can give their full legal consent to medical treatment and refuse it. In Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, it is a criminal offence for a tattoo artist to make tattoos for a person under the age of 18. AlcoholThe minimum age for the purchase and consumption of alcohol in authorized premises such as bars, clubs, restaurants and bottle shops is 18 years. When you move, you must also comply with the following legal requirements: a) if the act of sodomy is committed against a woman, to a maximum prison term of fourteen years; Sexual behaviour by children and adolescents under the age of 18 who are developmentally unfit, may be harmful to themselves or others, or may be abusive to another child, adolescent or adult.
(derived from Hackett, 2014, cited in Quadara et al., 2020, p. 7) There is no minimum age for consent for boys with women, although sodomy is illegal at any age (s155) and there are also sodomy crimes that apply to our penal codes (S154, S159) The age of consent in Samoa is 16 years according to article 59. Sexual behaviour with adolescents under the age of 16 under the Crime Act 2013. [51] Homosexual acts are illegal regardless of age (ยง 67 Sodomy). [51] The information in this article is of a general nature and the laws vary from state to state. So if you have concerns about your child`s legal rights or obligations, it is always preferable: in Nauru, it is a crime under the Crimes Act 2016, section 7.3, to have sex with someone under the age of 16. [39] Consent is not a defence unless the youngest party is 13 years of age or older and the perpetrator is not more than 2 years older than the younger person. [39] The age of consent increases to 18 if the oldest partner – 18 years of age or older – is the parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or guardian of the younger person, or if the older partner holds or holds a position of authority over the younger person. This does not apply to minors aged 16 or 17 as long as the oldest partner is less than three years older and is not the parent, step-parent, adoptive parent or guardian of the younger person.
Under section 1317, a position of authority means “an employer, youth worker, scout leader, trainer, teacher, consultant, school administrator, religious leader, doctor, nurse, psychologist, ad litem tutor, babysitter or substantially similar position, and a police officer or probation officer, unless the officer exercises on-call control” over a person under 18 years of age. Before you leave the house or change your living conditions, you should seek legal advice. If learner drivers pass their driving tests, they can obtain their provisional or trial licence (Ps). The minimum age at which drivers can obtain their P ranges from 16 years and 6 months in the Northern Territory to 18 years in Victoria. That`s 17 years in other states and territories. Sexting is also illegal in all Australian states and territories, with the exception of Victoria and Tasmania. In Victoria and Tasmania, sexting is legal if both people are under the age of 18 and there is no more than two years of age difference. When children or young people talk about their “rights”, it may be about exercising their will or enforcing their own will. That is not what is meant by rights. The rights of the child include the right to be safe, to be educated, to receive medical care and to be protected from cruelty and abuse. If your children challenge you, it`s important to know why they`re doing this, what your responsibilities are as parents, and how to deal with the situation. The minimum legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 in Australian states and territories (see Table 2).
For other sexual activities, criminal law varies depending on the different types of sexual behaviour and interaction in Australian jurisdictions. Voting is compulsory in Australia for all persons aged 18 and over. Teens can register to vote at the age of 16 or 17, but cannot vote until the age of 18. This reference guide describes how consent is defined by law and why age of consent laws are needed to protect children and youth from sexual exploitation and abuse. It then summarizes the age of consent laws according to state and territorial jurisdictions. It also answers common questions from child, family and community welfare professionals on related topics, including reporting, responding to disclosures, laws for people in supervisory roles, developmentally appropriate sexual behaviours, and digital technology. But if children want to leave school after Grade 10, the law could say they have to do some other form of education or a mix of education, training or employment until they are 17. In Western Australia, the age is 17 years and 6 months. In Tasmania, the age is 18 or when children complete their other education (whichever comes first). If you stay in touch with your child during adolescence, your child is probably better at avoiding the pressure of being involved in risky behavior or illegal activities.
But if you`re worried about your child`s behavior, seek help by talking to your primary care doctor or calling your state or territorial parental helpline. Youth Advocacy Centre offers community legal and social service to youth up to the age of 18. The age of consent to prostitution in New Zealand is higher. Although prostitution is legal, it is illegal under the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 to receive or receive sexual services from persons under the age of 18. [43] (1) that another person is at least fourteen (14) years of age and under sixteen (16) years of age In Papua New Guinea, it is illegal to have carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 16. [50] If the victim is 12 years of age or older, this is a defence if the defendant believed “for reasonable reasons” that the girl was 16 years of age or older. It is a crime for any person to be indecent with a boy under the age of 14 (Article 211), and boys under the age of 17 are not considered capable of consenting to acts of another man that would be indecent assault without their consent (Article 243). In addition, having or allowing carnal knowledge “against the order of nature” is illegal at any age, as are acts of “gross indecency” between men (Articles 210 and 212). In Western Australia, young people under the age of 18 can be pierced with their parents` permission. In New Zealand, having a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 16 is a criminal offence. [40] This is a plea in which the respondent exercised due diligence to determine the age of the victim, had reasonable grounds to believe that the victim was at least 16 years of age and that consent had been given. [41] In addition, having a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 18 is a criminal offence if the defendant is in a guardianship role (parent, step-parent, foster parent, guardian, uncle, aunt or other extended family members, whanau or other power or authority, or responsibility for care or upbringing).
[42] The age of consent for girls was 12 and was gradually raised to 16 in the late 19th century.