The release of the 2023 Forbes list of Australia’s 50 richest people has seen major miners take out the top two spots.
Hancock Prospecting executive chairman Gina Rinehart took out the top spot with a net worth of $30.6 billion, followed closely by Fortescue Metals executive chairman Andrew Forrest.
Other notable names on the list included Clive Palmer at number 25 with a net worth of $2.1 billion, and Mineral Resources founding shareholder Chris Ellison at number 33 with $1.59 billion.
Rinehart’s eldest daughter Bianca, along with her siblings John, Ginia and Hope, came in at number four on the list with a combined net worth of $12.5 billion.
The four children of the mining magnate are equal beneficiaries of the Hope Margaret Hancock Trust, which owns 23.54 per cent of Hancock Prospecting.
Rinehart ranked at number 49 in the Forbes 2022 annual ranking of the world’s richest people thanks to her $25.9 billion net worth at the time.
This year marks the first time that Ellison has appeared on the Australian list, making his debut along with fellow newcomer Mark Creasy, a Western Australian prospector.
Creasy ranked as number 48 with a net worth of $1.02 billion.
According to the Forbes website, the cut-off for the list was increased to $960 million, meaning 11 people from the last round were dropped.
A total of eight miners made the 2023 list, including Kie Chie Wong at number 27 ($2 billion) and Angela Bennett at number 34 ($1.55 billion).