Some people choose to stay in their family home until they are well into their 30s or older, and others decide to leave as soon as they are able. 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.
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. If you're under 18 and leave home, the police and Child Safety may investigate the reasons why you left home.
Its not illegal to move out of home before you are 18, but since your parents have a responsibility to look after you, they might make you come home. If the police are involved, they will look at where you are staying currently and whether or not you are safe, and look at whether or not you would be safe at home.
18 years old is the cutoff point; there is no Australian law the obligates parents to continue supporting their adult offspring. In fact, an adult child that refuses to leave home can even be charged by their parents for squatting, breaking and entering, and even threat of bodily harm!
Parents, as a general rule, have full parental responsibility for any of their children who are under 18 years. The law does however see that parental responsibility over you may reduce as you get closer to 18 and become mature enough to make your own decisions.
If the Minor Is Not Emancipated
Kicking an underage child (meaning under 18 in most states) out of the house, without the child being emancipated, can often be considered child abandonment, which is a crime.
In Australia, you're considered to be an adult when you turn 18 years old. But for certain things, the legal age can be younger. The information in this article is general in nature, and laws differ from state to state.
For it to be legal to move out at 17 (or 16 for that matter), the emancipation of a minor, a court must generally confirm the child has enough adult-like maturity to be on his or her own. Financial independence. In general, children must prove they can support themselves in order to get emancipated.
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.
Can 16-18 year olds move out? Once a young person reaches 16 they can leave home or their parents can ask them to move out. However, parents are responsible for their children's wellbeing until they turn 18 - and they'll likely need support (anchor link).
The legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 years across Australian state and territory jurisdictions (see Table 2). For other sexual activities, the criminal legislation relating to different types of sexual behaviours and interactions varies across Australian jurisdictions.
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.
In California, there is no legal consequence for a minor running away. There is, however, very little a minor can do if caught by the police to not be returned home. Many states, like CA, have adopted the Interstate Compact on Juveniles (ICJ).
Section 3(1) of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997 (Tas.) defines a child as a person under 18 years of age.
Aged 16-17
You can leave home without your parents' or carers' permission. Or they can ask you to leave. But it's important to think carefully before deciding to move out and leave home.
Call the police. - This sends the message to teenagers that it is not okay to leave home without permission. - The police are responsible for the safety of citizenry; your child is not safe if you do not know where he is.
All Member States establish a minimum age for sexual consent. Most Member States set this between 14 and 16 years. The lowest minimum age is 14 years, set in seven Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Portugal. The highest is set at 18 years – in Malta.
It's very important that you respect your teen's boundaries. Because if you don't, she is likely to feel that you have infringed on her space and consequently, spend less time with you. So, do not force family time on her. Remember, the point of spending time together as a family is to bond.
Anger is a normal part of adolescence and can be a healthy emotional response to outside stressors. Anger is a secondary emotion for teens as it often masks other underlying issues including sadness, hurt, fear, and shame. When these underlying emotions become too much, a teen will often respond by lashing out.
Legal age and becoming an adult
Across Australia, it becomes compulsory to vote at 18 years. This is also the legal age for gambling, buying cigarettes and purchasing or consuming alcohol in a licensed venue. Generally, it is against the law for a person under 18 to drink alcohol on private premises.