“This charity receives millions from the government. Workers say conditions were 'like a jail'”, 18 May 2026

In September last year, Deonizio Martin Soares took a leap of faith. He embarked on a 15-hour journey — two flights and a bus ride — from Timor-Leste to Australia to work on a farm in rural NSW…

What he didn't realise was that the company employing him, Madec Australia, intended for him to work only half of his tenure, and he would be required to repay a significant portion of his wages to cover travel, accommodation and other expenses…

Soares is one of more than 3,000 workers contracted by Madec to work on Australian farms under the PALM scheme, a temporary visa scheme targeting migrant workers from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste. SBS News has spoken with four who claim the company made excessive deductions from their pay, restricted their movement and subjected them to substandard living conditions…

Over the 23 weeks Soares worked for Madec, $9,711 was deducted from his wages, excluding tax. He was paid for 30 hours a week, even when he says he worked longer, at an hourly rate of $30.35, bringing his total gross income to $20,941. After deductions and tax, he was left with $10,712 — or around $466 a week — for his labour…

As one of Australia's largest labour-hire companies, Madec Australia subcontracts workers to farms across five Australian states (all except WA, the NT and ACT), turning over around $150 million in revenue annually…

Yet, for the past several years, the Mildura-headquartered company has been criticised for providing subpar, overcrowded accommodation and overcharging workers it contracts via the PALM scheme, examples of which have been compared to modern slavery…

Madec Australia did not respond to repeated requests for comment from SBS News regarding workers' claims of excessive deductions, cramped accommodation and discrepancies in visa and contract terms.