Since March 2008, the individual contracts known as Australian Workplace Agreements have been abolished. Many people will be employed on an Award or other collective agreements made betwen unions and employers. They are relevant to the workers in the industry whether they are in the union or not. In this case, you will not be signing any contracts.
You may, however, be asked to sign to say you accept the job, or to show that you have received information or materials, or to say you have commenced work.There is another form of contract called an Individual Transitional Employment Agreement (ITEA) replacing AWAs.
If asked to sign an ITEA, make sure to read all the information about it first at the Workplace Authority site. As with any contract, if you are aged under 18, a parent or guardian must sign. ITEAs are designed to remain in place until December 2009, and will be replaced when the government's new workplace relations arrangements are legislated for and put in place.
As with any employee, an employer is obliged to provide an outline of all the conditions of employment, and to ensure full access to Awards and Enterprise Agreements, in an area of the workplace accessible to all employees.
In NSW, any young person employed on an individual contract (the most common would be Australian Workplace Agreements) is protected by the legislation referred to in the section "Legal Protections for workers in NSW aged under 18".
Persons under 18 years are not permitted under law to sign contracts. Your parent or carer may be legally required to sign the contract on your behalf. However, we encourage parents and carers to take the time to sit down and explain the contract. Research among students has shown that of the 6 in 10 students who signed a document in the workplace, few understood the meaning behind it.