Asparagus farm fined $60k over illegal workers

Australia’s largest grower of asparagus and broccolini has been hit with a $60,000 fine after illegal workers were found hiding in a shed on the property.

Vizzarri farm director Giuseppe Vizzarri leaves the County Court. Picture: James Ross

Australia’s largest asparagus producer has been fined $60,000 for employing illegal workers as vegetable packers at its farm in Victoria’s southeast.

M&G Vizzarri was on Friday convicted of allowing eight unlawful non-citizens to work at the Koo Wee Rup farm in 2016.

The workers were paid cash-in-hand and well below award rate to pack asparagus and broccolini under the direction of Vizzarri employee Sarith Kit.

The court heard on Friday, Kit used his “connections” in the local migrant community to find illegal workers and paid drivers to bring them to the farm.

The workers were given numbers in lieu of names on makeshift timesheets kept by the drivers.

The workers, who were from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, were paid as little as $14 per hour for packing produce.

The award rate at the time was about $22 per hour.

The court heard the workers were also made to pay the drivers $10 a day for a lift to the farm.

In December 2016, officers from the Australian Border Force and federal police raided the farm and found the workers in a packing shed.

Sarith Kit was sentenced to at least five months’ jail for his role in the scheme. Picture: James Ross

The company was also charged with employing an additional worker who was on a bridging visa which prevented her from working.

Vizzarri farm director, Guiseppe Vizzarri told investigators Kith was his “communicator” to the workers.

“He’s my connection to the contractors,” he said.

Mr Vizzarri told officers he never directly spoke with the workers in the packing shed.

“Whenever they see anyone in a tie, they talk to no one,” he said.

Kit was last year convicted and fined $40,000 for his role in the scheme.

The court heard the company had been “reckless” as to legality of the workers and Mr Vizzarri was aware there were ongoing issues with subcontract work.

County Court judge Trevor Wraight said while there was no evidence the company had deliberately avoided its responsibilities, “the company ought to have known the status of the workers”.

The court heard the farm had suffered significant financial loss since the charges were laid in 2018 and Judge Wraight took into account the lengthy delay and guilty plea when delivering his sentence.