Malaysian Shares Harsh Truth of Working in Australian Farms, Says it’s Not as Rosy

Many Malaysians flock to countries like Australia to work in farms because they’re attracted to the lucrative currency exchange rate. On average, 1 AUD is equal to RM3. Who wouldn’t want that wei! 

However, many of them return to Malaysia just after three months of working there due to the harsh environment and unstable income.

A Malaysian lady named Lim, who has just returned from Australia said that her income was pretty much at the mercy of the weather.

If the weather was bad during the day, she couldn’t go out to work, thus having no income at all for the day. This meant that she had to use her own savings to get her through the day.

If her back-up fund runs out before the weather turns around, then she might be forced to return to Malaysia poorer before she set off!

However, whenever she could finally go back to work, she faced another problem.

“The sun in Australia is just as hot as in Malaysia. The average temperature hovers around 36 to 37 degree Celsius. It’s so hot that you feel like fainting at times, but the thought of earning money and the currency exchange rate makes everything worth it,” she said. 

According to Lim, picking grapes and harvesting asparagus are the two jobs available on the farm. The more you harvest, the more money you get. “You determine your own salary,” she said.

The farm provides accommodation for the workers. They’re charged AUD$85 (approx. RM280) per week for the hostel and AUD$8 (approx. RM25) for the daily ride to the farm.

The salary will be given out on a weekly basis after subtracting the hostel rental and car ride fee. Unfortunately, workers have to take care of their own meals.

The lifestyle of farm workers are pretty monotonous too. After taking her breakfast, she would wait for the car to fetch her to the farm, and she’ll only be back to her hostel at 5pm.

The rest of the night is usually spent resting and preparing for the next day, to do it all over again. Eat, work, sleep, repeat. 

Most workers look forward to their days off because they can visit the nearby town and become tourists for a day. Lim also warned that one must be healthy and resilient, and also be willing to work hard if you choose to go down this path.

Well, to get a lucrative income, you must be willing to take the risk because there’s no such thing as a free lunch! 

 

Also read: Malaysian Fresh Grad Shares the Joys of Being a Blue-collar Worker in New Zealand