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Australia's largest grower of asparagus and broccolini has been fined $60,000 for its role in engaging illegal workers.
Key points:
- M&G Vizzarri Pty Ltd would have been fined $100,000 had it not pleaded guilty, the court has heard
- Some workers on the Koo Wee Rup property were paid as little as $14 an hour
- A man involved in the illegal labour scheme was jailed last year
M&G Vizzarri Proprietary Limited, headed by Giuseppe Vizzarri, was convicted of breaching the Migration Act after pleading guilty to eight charges of allowing an unlawful non-citizen to work.
It faced one further charge of allowing a lawful non-citizen to work in breach of a work-related condition.
In December 2016, Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police officers found nine illegal workers at the Koo Wee Rup property, east of Melbourne.
In the County Court this morning, Judge Trevor Wraight said men were paid $15 an hour and women received $14.
Last year the court jailed Sarith Kit for his involvement in the illegal worker scheme by hiring undocumented workers from Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.
"The illegal workers considered Mr Kit to be the boss and Mr Vizzarri to be Mr Kit's boss," Judge Wraight said.
He said he would have fined the business $100,000 had it not pleaded guilty.
"It was not an early plea, but still has significant utilitarian value," Judge Wraight said.
He also considered the company's good "prospects of rehabilitation" and subsequent lack of offending.
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