George Calombaris’s description of the wage scandal as “brutal” and his remark that he “cried a lot” came from a 2021 podcast interview, as reported by PerthNow. Separately, Fair Work Ombudsman records document wage underpayments at MAdE Establishment, including $7.83 million back-paid to 515 current or former employees. His personal account and the regulator’s workplace record are distinct.
What did George Calombaris say about the scandal?
In a report published on 2 December 2021, PerthNow said Calombaris discussed the controversy on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast with Sam Newman and Don Scott. The report described him as calling the period “brutal” and said he revealed that he “cried a lot.”
PerthNow quoted him saying: “I drank a lot, I really did. When I drink, I don’t get aggressive, but when I drink excessively like I did in that period, I’m an emotional wreck.” It also quoted him saying: “I probably should have opened up more. I was trying to fix it all behind a closed door and I was literally fist-punching myself internally and emotionally.” Read PerthNow’s 2 December 2021 report.
These are remarks attributed to Calombaris by PerthNow; the original podcast audio or transcript is not available here to verify the wording or broader context independently. His comments describe his experience, not the Fair Work Ombudsman’s findings.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat did the Fair Work Ombudsman record?
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s (FWO) enforceable undertaking for MAdE Establishment records that, after a change in ownership and management, the group reviewed its records in early 2017 and identified circumstances in which many employees had not been paid correctly. The affected work at the named MAdE restaurants covered 2011 to 2017.
The undertaking records that MAdE Establishment back-paid $7.83 million to 515 current or former employees. It describes failures involving minimum rates, casual loadings, weekend and public-holiday penalties, overtime, split-shift allowances, annual-leave loadings, annualised-salary reconciliations, part-time work agreements and time records. Read the FWO’s MAdE Establishment undertaking.
The FWO document also records a $200,000 contrition payment to the Commonwealth and commitments that included workplace-relations training, three years of audits and systems to monitor compliance. These are remedial commitments recorded in the undertaking, not statements about Calombaris’s emotional state.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do the reported amounts fit together?
ABC News reported the precise MAdE back-pay total as $7,832,953 for 515 employees at Press Club, Gazi and three Hellenic Republic restaurants. It separately reported that Jimmy Grants paid $16,371 to nine employees. The Jimmy Grants amount concerns a separate entity and should not be added to the MAdE total as if both were one undertaking. Read ABC News’ 2019 report.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
| Figure | What it refers to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $7.83 million | Back-pay recorded for 515 current or former MAdE Establishment employees | FWO undertaking, 2019 |
| $7,832,953 | Precise MAdE back-pay total reported for 515 employees at the named restaurants | ABC News, 2019 |
| $16,371 | Separately reported payment to nine Jimmy Grants employees | ABC News, 2019 |
| $200,000 | Contrition payment to the Commonwealth recorded in the MAdE undertaking | FWO undertaking, 2019 |
What the record does—and does not—establish
- The FWO undertaking documents underpayment admissions and corrective measures at MAdE Establishment; it is the primary source for the official workplace record.
- PerthNow’s account is the source for the selected podcast remarks about crying, drinking and trying to cope privately.
- The cited records support describing underpayments and an enforceable undertaking. They do not establish a criminal judgment, and they do not verify the podcast quotations beyond PerthNow’s report.
- These records concern historical events; they do not establish the current status of the businesses.
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