Gina Rinehart’s ‘crazy, life changing’ gift to staff

Australia’s richest person has marked a series of special occasions by giving away $7 million to staff.

Australia’s richest person has marked a series of special occasions by giving away $7 million to her staff.

Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart gave out 70 gifts of $100,000 each to staff across her companies at her 2023 Christmas party and to mark her 70th birthday in February.

The lucky workers were chosen at random from more than 4000 employees who work for the mining magnate and the cash was tax-free.

The cash giveaway formed part of the celebrations to mark Ms Rinehart’s 70th birthday. Picture: Hancock Prospecting.

Ms Rinehart celebrated her 70th birthday with black-tie, star-studded bash on the banks of the Swan River in Perth that featured a horse show and a performance by Guy Sebastian.

The party was attended by opposition leader Peter Dutton, who flew in for just 40 minutes from the east coast, along with many of her staff members.

A company insider told the Daily Mail Australia the cash giveaways were “a crazy, life-changing thing”.

“It really gets to the spirit of the way that she treats her employees as well, really trying to look after everyone, not just the very senior guys who are in head office in Perth,” the insider said.

Mrs Rinehart is Australia’s richest person with an estimated net worth of $37 billion.

Her 70th birthday celebration also marked a number of long-service achievements among her workforce as well as other staff who had birthdays in February.

Ms Rinehart’s business interests have broadened in the past year with a foray into rural fashion. Picture: Supplied.

The move echoes other cash handouts to staff by Ms Rinehart.

Last year she gifted 41 employees $100,000 each to celebrate her 41 years working at the company founded by her father, Hancock Prospecting, and handing out additional cash linked to her 69th birthday celebrations.

Hancock Prospecting made a $5 billion profit last year.

In 2022, she gave $100,000 each to 10 of her Roy Hill mine workers as a Christmas bonus, whose names were drawn at random out of a hat.

Aside from her mining and cattle interests, Ms Rinehart also branched out into rural fashion last year, buying Rossi Boots and Driza-Bone through her livestock company S.Kidman & Co.