In Queensland you're expected to live with your parents or legal guardians until you are 18—but there's no law that says you must stay at home until then. Once you turn 16, you won't normally be forced to return home by the authorities as long as you've got a safe place to go and you can financially support yourself.
There is no law about what age you can leave home, but your parents generally have to look after you until you're 18.
In many areas, the age of majority is 16, which means you can move out on your own at that point. However, if the age of majority is over 16 where you live, you will likely need to be legally emancipated or get your parents' permission before you move out.
No legal age for leaving children home alone
There's no one law in Australia that says how old your child has to be before you can leave them alone. In Queensland, if you leave a child under 12 years of age for an unreasonable amount of time without supervision and care, you have committed a criminal offence.
In Australia, most people stay with their parents until they are at least 18 years old and your parents will remain your legal guardians until then. For more information about when you can legally leave home visit the Youth Law Australia website.
There is no legal age for when you can leave home. However if you are under 18 years of age and there is a: Court Order which says who you must live with or. if you are on a Child Protection Order.
About legal age in Australia
In Australia, you're considered to be an adult when you turn 18 years old.
It is a very serious offence to engage in sexual activity with anyone under 16 years of age, even if you are in a relationship and they agree, as the law says that they cannot consent. It is still illegal if you are both under 16 years of age. In this case, you could both be charged.
In Victoria, the age of consent is 16. If you are 16 years old and above, you can legally have sex (or do another sexual activity) with another person who is 16 years or older as long as you both agree to it.
You can leave home at any age providing you have a safe place to go to. If you leave home and are considered to be in physical or moral danger then the Police or Department of Child Protection & Family Services may become involved.
While some parents rely on a set curfew, others make the rules fit he circumstances. For example, if your teen gets home from after-school activities at 7 p.m., a weekday curfew of 10 p.m. may make sense. On the weekends, maybe 11 p.m. is a more reasonable time.
Children left unsupervised often exhibit higher levels of fear, stress, loneliness and boredom. They are also at a greater risk to be involved in accidents and to be victimized by strangers, siblings, and friends. Children left home alone may also be more vulnerable to sexual abuse due to their easier access.
Besides Queensland and Victoria, there are no specific laws which dictate the age that children can walk to school alone. That's not to say parents aren't accountable if their child is harmed. Parents owe a duty of care to their children, meaning they're responsible for keeping them safe.
While child experts typically agree that 11 or 12 years old is an appropriate age to stay home alone for a few hours, there are a number of factors to consider. It is important to recognize that the right time will vary by family, so trust your instincts.
This is exactly two years. For example, if a person is 17 and has sex with someone who is 15, it is not a crime. But if the person was 18, it is a crime unless the person believed the person was 16 or older. For more information about what is considered a sexual act, see Sexual assault.
Romeo and Juliette laws
In most Australian states, provisions exist whereby it is a defence to a child sex offence if the participants were teenagers of a similar age in a consensual relationship.
A 16-year-old dating an 18-year-old is not a big age difference. It's only 2 years apart in age and a 16-year-old isn't a child equivalent to a 5-year-old, and an 18-year-old isn't an adult equivalent to a middle-aged man. They're both developmentally adolescents in high school.
In Australia, there is no minimum age which a child can legally refuse to see a parent following divorce or separation. Of course, once children of divorce reach the age of 18 years they can make their own decisions about where they live or which parent they want to spend time with.
There is no minimum age for criminal responsibility. Children below age 14 can only face incarceration if they are proven to have enough discernment between right and wrong. Incarceration starting at age 14.
Schools. A child is considered to be of compulsory school age from 6 years and 6 months until they turn 16, or they complete Year 10 (whichever comes first).
Many commentators agreed that 25 - 26 is an appropriate age to move out of the house if you are still living with your parents. The main reason for this acceptance is that it's a good way to save money but if you're not worried about money you may want to consider moving out sooner.
If a father is seeking to take a child away from the mother, he may need to initiate legal proceedings in the family court. A father may initiate proceedings by filing an application for time with the children.