Celebrity chef George Calombaris has admitted to underpaying over 500 employees a total of $7.83 million at his restaurant empire.

The Fair Work Ombudsman heard he has paid back workers the money they were owed while working for the MAdE Establishment Group between 2011 and 2017.

The company has been fined $200,000 and the MasterChef judge has been ordered to make a series of public statements to promote compliance with the Fair Work Act.

Former Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James tells John Stanley the penalty is “very creative”.

“Companies large and small are getting this wrong.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview

Image: Getty/Daniel Munoz