Yes, generally a 20-year-old can date a 17-year-old in Australia, as the age of consent is 16 (or 17 in SA/Tas), but special rules apply if the older person is in a position of authority or care over the 17-year-old, making such relationships illegal in those cases, even with consent.
Is it illegal for me to date someone older? It's not illegal for you to date someone older. It is illegal for someone over 18 to have a sexual relationship or sexual activity with someone under 16, or under 18 if they are in a position of responsibility like a teacher or a sports coach.
The legislation relevant to age of consent is found in state and territory criminal legislation about sexual intercourse or other sexual activities with young people or children (Table 2). The age of consent is: 16 years for ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, Vic and WA. 17 years for SA and Tas.
In 1973, the Australian Parliament amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and lowered the minimum voting age to 18 years.
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, and laws differ from state to state. Laws also change from time to time.
In Australia, there is no legal restriction on the age difference between consenting individuals as long as both parties are above the legal age of consent in their respective state or territory.
Now there's a general rule that's supposed to answer this question for us. The age-gap equation, of course: half your age, then add seven to work out if someone is too young for you to date; take seven off your age, then double it to work out if someone is too old for you to date.
In the United States, a minor is any individual under the specified “age of majority” for their state or territory., All states define an age of majority, which is usually set at 18, but states like Indiana and Mississippi set it at 21, while in Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, or Nebraska, the age of majority is 19.
The age of sexual consent across Australia is 16 years of age, except for Tasmania and South Australia, where it's 17. Being able to give consent means you can say yes or no willingly. Adults and teenagers alike must understand that a person cannot consent if they are: under 16 (or 17 in S.A or Tas)
What Can You Do at 18 Legally?
Common red flags in men can include jealousy, controlling behaviour, lack of communication, emotional unavailability, and manipulation. That said, red flags can show up differently for everyone, and what feels like a red flag to one person might not feel the same to another.
But it does provide some rough guidelines as to how soon may be too soon to make long-term commitments and how long may be too long to stick with a relationship. Each of the three numbers—three, six, and nine—stands for the month that a different common stage of a relationship tends to end.
"Half-your-age-plus-seven" rule
The "half-your-age-plus-seven" is a rule of thumb to determine the ideal age difference that holds that a person should never date someone whose age is less than half their own plus seven years.
The rule is to go on a date with your partner every 2 weeks. Go on a weekend trip with your partner every 2 months. Go on a week-long trip with your partner every 2 years.
There's no denying that there's the possibility of compatibility issues in relationships with bigger age gaps, say around ten years. However, Susan Winter told Women.com that it's less likely to have a negative impact when both people are already well into their adult years.
In Australia, the age of consent is between 16 and 17 years, depending on the state. The primary aim of these laws is to protect minors from sexual abuse and exploitation. This is because minors don't have the maturity to consent to various sexual activities, thus needing protection.
“Consent” means permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. For example, a person consents to sexual activity if/when they give permission for the activity to occur or agree to engage in the activity.
From 20 September 2025, you cannot engage in sexual activity with a person aged 16–17 if you are an adult who is in a position of care, supervision or authority in relation to that child. This is called being in a position of authority. This offence applies even if the young person has given consent.
The legal age is also known as the age of legal majority. This is the age at which a person gains the legal status of an adult. The legal age is set by state law and can differ from state to state. However, almost all states set the base legal age as 18 years old.